Awakening of a Stigma
by StoopKid241
Summary: Kevin Graham, Dominion of the Grail Knights, hears of a Stigma appearing among one of the students at Thors Military Academy. Following that revelation, he makes his way there. This is a story about many events that transpire due to the awakening of that Stigma. SPOILERS for all of Trails in the Sky, as well as Cold Steel 1 and 2. Entering the final arc!
1. Chapter 1

**SPOILERS for all of Trails in the Sky and Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2**

 **Setting the Stage**

 **Chapter 1**

 _Following the event in the Old Schoolhouse, when Rean Schwarzer and Crow Armbrust faced off against Ol-Gadia, that mysterious mechanical knight, certain things went into motion. Crow and Patrick Hyarms agreed to keep the knowledge of Rean's strange power to themselves, but it turned out that they weren't the only ones to notice that power…_

 **Middle of the Night, Thors Main Building, Teacher's Office:**

In the dead of night, one staff member was up and alone in the teacher's room. His name was Thomas Lysander, an instructor known at the academy as a lover of history but more than a little dense in general. He was using an advanced orbal phone, and was speaking with someone in a hushed tone.

The person on the other line laughs to himself, and says "Man oh man… A stigma really awakened down at your fancy academy?" Thomas sighs and says "It is as I said… It happened less than an hour ago, and although I can narrow it down a bit, I still do not know who in particular it was." The other person pauses, and says "So, you'll need me to head on down there, huh? I wasn't planin' on going to Erebonia of all places, but maybe it'll be a fun time?" Thomas laughs, and says "You're as perceptive as ever! When you make it here, we'll need to have some beers to catch up!" The other person laughs a bit more nervously, and says "Umm… We'll see… I'll make my way down as soon as I can."

After Thomas ends the call, he looks up at the sky, and wonders just what in the world was happening, if a stigma could be showing itself at the very academy that he has worked at for years…

 **Same Time, Skies Above The** **Holy City of Arteria, Inside a Merkabah Airship**

The other person breathes a deep sigh, as a pink haired nun approaches, and says "So, what are our orders, sir?" The man, a green haired individual garbed in a priestly attire, grins and says "Well, Ries… We're headin' down to Erebonia!" Ries smiles, and says "Erebonia, Kevin? I hope we have a chance to sample some of their cuisine…" Kevin laughs, and says "If we get the time, maybe…" Then, he turns to his crew, and announces, saying "We'll make for Trista, Erebonia immediately! Ries and I will be dropped off on the outskirts of the town, and you will all standby back in Arteria. Understood?" His crew all shout, saying "Understood!" After that, one crew member turns to another, and says "I've never seen Father Kevin act so serious…" The other laughs, and says "Yeah, it was kinda weird…"

Kevin rolls his eyes, and says "Hey! I can be responsible when I have to…"

 **The Next Day, Trista, Erebonia**

Kevin and Ries approach the entrance to the town of Trista, and as they take in the scenery, Kevin says "You remember our cover, right Ries?" Ries nods, and says "I'm not inexperienced, Kevin… We're acting as a traveling pair of clergy, you as the priest and me as the sister. We were asked to assist the local church with Thors and Trista as a whole." Then, she pauses and adds, saying "By the way, Kevin; I expect us to have a great lunch soon…" Kevin laughs, and says "Of course, Ries. I know where your priorities lie…"

As they walk into town, they are greeted by a young short haired girl, who seemed to be a student. She bows, and says "My name is Rosine! I was asked to show you both around, as I help out at the church as an apprentice, since you will be assisting with our operations…" Kevin laughs, and says "Huh, a student and an apprentice sister? You must be a model that your classmates should aspire to!" Rosine smiles, and says "Thank you for your kind words, Father…"

Then, Ries glares at Kevin, and says "You forgot to make introductions…" Then, she smiles at Rosine, and says "That is Father Kevin, and I'm Ries. I am a sister of the Church, just like what you are aspiring to be…" After that, Kevin grins, and says "Nice to meet-cha, Rosine!"

Following the introductions, Rosine leads the two around Trista, showing them Kirsche's Cafe & Inn, promptingRies to say "I look forward to trying all of their dishes…" After showing them the rest of the town, Rosine leads them into the chapel. But when they enter, she beckons them into a side room, causing Ries to say "I thought I saw the head priest up at the alter…" Rosine nods, and says "That is true, but there is someone else to meet first…"

Kevin smiles, realizing what was going on, as a man heartily laughs, causing Ries to look on with confusion. Then, the man says "Kevin Graham, my old friend! It hasn't been more than a few years, but you look much more mature. And I sure was surprised when you took on Rufina's old moniker." Then, he turns to Ries, as she looks at him suspiciously for knowing about her sister's Gralsritter title, and says "And speaking of that, I never thought I'd get to meet her younger sister! You really do take after her…"

Kevin laughs, and says "Thomas Lysander, 2nd Dominion, The Partitioner. It really has been too long…" Ries quickly gives a respectful bow, and says "I didn't realize I was speaking with the 2nd Dominion. I am Ries Argent, squire to the 5th Dominion, Kevin Graham. Did you know my sister?" Thomas shakes her hand, and says "The pleasure is mine! And Rufina was an excellent negotiator, and an even better friend. And you've both already met my squire, young Rosine here." Kevin hums, and says "So, you're a squire as well… Interesting…" So Rosine nods, and says "Yes! We keep my status hidden, so I can remain at Thors without drawing attention."

So Thomas laughs, and says "Now that introductions are out of the way, how about we have an early lunch and drink! You drink, don't you Kevin? I'll gladly treat the squires for some non-alcoholic beverages, as I would never encourage minors to drink irresponsibly!" Kevin laughs next, and says "You never change, do you Thomas? I hope we'll talk business while we're eating, though?" Thomas nods, and says "Of course! We'll order the food at the café, and eat here, so we'll have some privacy!"

As they walk, Ries whispers to Kevin, saying "Why can't you be so generous with guests…? You barely spend much for your squire…" Kevin rubs his neck, and says "I can't help it Ries! The Church assigned him to be an instructor here, so he essentially gets two salaries for one job! I can't compete with that!"

 **Midday, Trista Chapel, Erebonia**

After everyone had some starting food, and a bit of casual chatting passed, Thomas prepared to explain the current situation. He begins, saying "Last night, there was a strange situation. One of Class VII's siblings got lost, and we were all trying to find her." Kevin interjects, saying "Class VII?" Thomas explains, saying "Class VII is a special class of students from various class backgrounds, to test a new orbment system, called the ARCUS unit. Anyway, near the end of the night, around midnight, I felt the presence of a Stigma, and it felt like it was located in the Old Schoolhouse building. I don't know who exactly went down there at that time, because while Class VII has been conducting monthly investigations, there wasn't a request for them that night."

Kevin thinks for a moment, and then says "So, if it happened during a night when your Class VII, it would have been easier to determine. Do you know who might know about who went into that building?" Thomas answers, saying "I believe Towa Herschel, the student council president,organized the search. I can introduce you both to her a bit later." Kevin then adds, saying "Speaking of that; are there any people we should look out for while we're here?"

Thomas laughs, and says "Well, there is Sara Valestein. She's an instructor here, but she used to be a Bracer, and she is actually the youngest one to reach A-rank. They called her the Purple Lightning." Kevin smiles, and says "I've worked with Bracers in the past, so I can tell how skilled an A-rank one can be. Anyone else?" Thomas thinks, and then says "Well, another one of our instructors, Makarov, was a disciple of Professor G. Schmidt, although he keeps that pretty far under wraps. Ries hums, and says "He was one of the disciples of the famous C. Epstein, right? The same one that the Epstein Foundation was named after, right?" Thomas nods, and says "That's correct. The others are mainly military folk, although Principal Vandyck was pretty well known in the military."

Then, he pauses and says "But, our board of directors are our more varied and notable bunch. First, there is Rufus Albarea, an influential and gifted noble, and is a central figure for the noble faction. Next is Carl Regnitz, the governor of Heimdallr, the Vermillion Capital. He is one of the central figures of the reformist faction, along with the Blood and Iron Chancellor, Giliath Osborne." Kevin interjects, saying "Wow! That is the most divisive pair that I've ever seen. I wonder how they can even make decisions…" Thomas nods, and says "You have a point, but they manage, mostly because of the third member of the board. She is Irina Reinford, the Chairman of the Reinford Company. But the Chairman of the board is an even crazier pick…"

Kevin looks, and says "You've got a bunch of major players, so who could be crazier?" Thomas smiles, and says "The Chairman of the board is none other than His Royal Highness, Prince Olivert Reise Arnor." Kevin merely laughs, and says "Is that so? Seems like things are gettin' interesting!" After that, the lunch continued, as Kevin was glad that they had a solid lead to search for the stigma bearer.

 **Same Time, Industrial City of Zeiss, Liberl**

In the Russell household, the Russell family (+plus Agate) were having a chaotic lunch, as Erika Russell shouts "There's no way my precious little Tita is travelling all the way to Erebonia, and with that brute of all people!" Dan Russell sighs, and says "Come now, honey… This will be a good chance for our daughter to grow. And I can't think of a better person to protect her, than that 'brute'…" Agate sighs next, and says "Geez, you guys are harsh. You know that I'm not thrilled about her going either, right? If that minstrel was accurate, then Erebonia is gonna be a pretty dicey place pretty soon."

Tita frowns, filling up with worry, until Albert Russell chimes in, and says "That may be true, but there are some skilled orbal engineers at Thors Military Academy. And I've heard that they have some ties to the Roer Institute of Technology, which will be a great boon as well!" Dan nods, and says "I think you should take that step, Tita. We'll all miss you, but you'll be one step closer to reaching that 'goal' of yours." Tita lights up, and says "That's right! And Agate, didn't you say you wanted to help the Bracers in Erebonia?"

Agate nods, and says "That is true. The Bracers in Erebonia have all but been driven away, so I might be able to help out, as an experienced A-rank Bracer." Then Erika turns to Agate, and says "If that's the case, then you'd better keep my precious Tita safe, you hear me?" Agate scratches his head, and says "Yeah, I'll make sure of that. You don't need to worry about me."

Then, Dan smiles, and says "Well with that settled, why don't we have a nice lunch? You guys will have a long flight today after all, so you'd better relax while you can!" Tita grins, and says "Okay!" The group then continues their lunch, enjoying their time together before Tita and Agate leave for Thors Military Academy…

 **End Chapter 1**

 **Notes**

Hey everyone! I wanted to try out a new story, as I've had some ideas as I finished Trails in the Sky The 3rd and played through Trails of Cold Steel 1. I at least want to get this first chapter out there, so I can solidify some things.

I'm setting up a bunch of things, and taking some ideas from different games. For example, the part with Tita going to Thors is based on what happens in Cold Steel III, which only just came out. That was an early pre-release piece of info, so it's not a bad spoiler or anything.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **The Next Day, Town of Rolent, Liberl**

 _In this small town in The Liberl, two young, but experienced, bracers along with an even younger violet haired girl were having a bit of an issue. The two bracers were Estelle and Joshua Bright, a pair of adopted siblings who have somehow became a romantic item. The young girl was an ex-Enforcer in the mysterious society of Ouroboros, Renne Hayworth. They were having breakfast at the Abend Bar, with another Liberl based bracer, Scherazard Harvey._

As they eat, and Schera has a morning bottle of wine, she sighs and says "Seems like your reputation is making things difficult, huh?" Estelle scratches her head, and says "It's not even our fault, mostly… It's because Dad's just waaaaay too famous! That jerk…" Renne smirks, and then says "Well, what else can you expect from the children of the Divine Blade…?" Estelle just glares at her, and says "You're one to talk, little Ms. Ex-Society…" Renne merely smiles proudly, and says "I've earned my reputation, thank you very much!"

But the one to change the subject was Joshua, who scratches his chin and says "Well, we'll need to figure out something. Olivier sounded desperate in his message…" Estelle nods, and says "You're right. No matter how annoying or creepy Olivier gets, he's our friend. And we've gotta help him out! But, how…?" Schera laughs, and takes a swig of her booze, and then says "I wish that I had an excuse to drink with that goofball again. But you guys are A-rank bracers, remember? You can figure this out!" Then she gets up and grabs her bottle, and walks away while waving them off.

After that, Joshua silently thinks for a moment, before looking up and saying "In any case, we should try to cross the border in the Rolent region, because that would get us closest to Legram. I think the lord of that town is a good friend of Olivier's as well. And I think I have an idea, but you might not like it, Estelle…" Estelle furrows her brow, and says "I don't like the sound of this already…" Then, Joshua leans in, and explains his plan, causing Estelle to blush heavily and Renne to raise an eyebrow curiously. Estelle nervously yells, saying "Are you sure that's the best way?" while Renne smiles, and says "That's one way to do it, at least…"

 _Once their breakfast was over, the trio would move out to put their plan into motion…_

 **Same Time, Principal's Office, Thors Academy**

 _Today was the start of Kevin's investigation into the mysterious emergence of a Stigma, so the first thing he planned to do was to introduce himself to the principal. A large and imposing gray haired man, named Vandyke, headed the academy as its principal. He was once a well-known general in the Erebonian Military, and now he spends his days fostering the growth of the future youths of Erebonia..._

Kevin takes a sip of his tea, and says "I'm happy to meet'cha, Principal Vandyke! I'm glad you're bein' so receptive to this investigation of mine." Principal Vandyke laughs a hearty laugh, and says "Not at all, Father Kevin! After hearing about what might be happening with the students, with that strange Stigma thing, I welcome outside help. I would have never guessed that one of my instructors was secretly a member of the Gralsritter's Dominion!" Kevin laughs as well, and says "Well, he's been trying to keep it under wraps, so we'd all appreciate it if you could keep the secret a bit longer." Principal Vandyke nods, and says "I understand completely. Now, what will you need for your investigation?"

Kevin puts down his tea, and says "Mainly, I'd like to know about which students were in the Old School House when Thomas detected the presence of a Stigma. Once I have that info, I can start doin' some interviews." Principal Vandyke nods, and says "That was when a sibling of one of our students went missing, and was eventually found in that school house. The students who found her were Patrick Hyarms, Rean Schwarzer, and Crow Armbrust."

After jotting that down in his notebook, Kevin asks "Who are they? I'd like to get a good idea of them before I look for them." Principal Vandyke nods again, and says "Patrick Hyarms is a noble, and a competent student, and is the heir of one of the Four Great Houses. Have you hear of them, Father Kevin?" Kevin nods, and says "Somewhat… They're some of the big wigs in the empire right? They rival the government, correct?" Principal Vandyke nods back, and then says "Correct. Tensions have been actually worse than they ever have between the Noble Faction and the commoner centered Reformist Faction."

Principal Vandyke sighs, and then says "Anyway, the next student is Rean Schwarzer. He is also a noble, but doesn't act like nobles in Erebonia typically behave. He has a lot of faith in her fellow classmates, and has no qualms with putting himself out to help others. He is also a follower of the Eight Leaves One Blade sword style. He still considers himself a beginner, though." Kevin smiles, and says "An Eight Leaves guy, huh? I've met a few of them during my travels, and they're pretty interestin' types. And what about Crow?"

Principal Vandyke pauses, and then says "Well, Crow is a Second Year, although he doesn't always act like one… He's a major slacker, but he has a strong ability to apply what he learns in practical scenarios." Kevin laughs, and says "A slacker, huh…? Reminds me a bit of myself!" Principal Vandyke sighs, and says "Please just don't encourage his behavior, Father Kevin. I'd rather him grow out of it when he graduates the academy…" Kevin smiles, and says "Sure thing! And thanks for the info, Principal Vandyke. I'm gonna get started now…" Principal Vandyke nods, and says "Good luck with your investigation, Father Kevin!"

But before Kevin leaves, Principal Vandyke raises a hand, and says "One moment, Father Kevin, I nearly forgot something…" Principal Vandyke then prepares an orbal video device, and says "Speaking of tensions in Erebonia, we have been plagued by a particularly dangerous terrorist group called the Imperial Liberation Front. Their leader, Comrade C, is particularly dangerous, and we have footage of him in combat. I thought you might want to get a look, just in case anything happens." Kevin nods, and says "Sounds good to me."

Once he gets to see the brief on the ILF and Comrade C, Kevin leaves the main building, and asks around for Patrick, and eventually finds him eating in the Student Union Building. He walks up to the young student, who was accompanied by his faithful butler Celestin, and says "Hey there! My name's Kevin, and I'm a travelin' priest starting an assignment here in Trista, and I needed to ask ya a little question." Patrick looks at Kevin apathetically, and says "If you must… Just don't waste my time." Kevin laughs, and says "I'll try not to…"

Then, Kevin's face turns more serious, and says "You were at the Old School House when that girl got lost right? Someone awakened a strange power, and I'd like to know what you saw…" Patrick immediately glares at Kevin, and says "How do you know about that?" Then, he takes a deep breath, and says, in a hushed tone "I don't know why you're asking about that, but the only thing I'll tell you is that it wasn't me who awakened some power. I don't intend on telling some suspicious 'priest' anything else."

Kevin sighs, and says "Well, you've helped me more than enough, so thanks! I am a priest though, even if I'm not the most responsible sort…" He laughs to himself as he walks away, causing Patrick and Celestin to look at each other with confusion.

 _Kevin decides to break for lunch, and spend it with Ries, intending to look for Rean and Crow later on in the day…_

 **Mid-morning, Front Gate, Thors Academy**

 _Around the middle of the morning, Tita and Agate finally arrived at Thors. They took an airliner from Zeiss to the Erebonian capital, Heimdallr, and then took a train to Trista. And waiting for them at the front gate was the young instructor, and former bracer, Sara Valestein..._

She waves to them, and yells happily "Looks like you guys finally made it! Welcome to Thors Military Academy!" Tita smiles, and says "Hello, Ms. Sara! It's nice meeting you in person, after those letters." Agate reaches out to shake Sara's hand, and says "It's nice meetin' the legendary Purple Lightning in person." Sara laughs, and says "I could say the same about you, Mr. Heavy Blade. Granted, you don't have quite the reputation I earned in my time, but it's decent enough…" Hearing that, Agate grins, and says "Man, are you trying to get me to challenge you right off the bat?" Sara grins back, and says "Maybe a bit later on… It'd be a good learning experience for the students."

But then, Sara gasps, and says "Oh, I was supposed to give you a tour, wasn't I Tita? Sorry… We'll get on that right away." Tita smiles, and says "It's okay! It was nice to see you and Agate look so excited over bracer stuff!" Then, Agate pats Tita on the back, and says "You're too nice, short-stuff!" After that, Sara takes the two on a tour of the academy grounds, ending their tour at the gymnasium. And once they enter, they go into the fencing club's clubroom, and see a young blue haired girl, wielding a large two-handed blade, sparring against a young blonde haired boy, who was wielding a rapier.

Sara smiles, and says "I didn't expect to see you guys here! These guys here are academy guests!" Both youths turn and greet Sara, as the girl says "Hello, Instructor!" and the boy says "Good day, Instructor." Then, they look at the two strangers, and the girl says "Ah, hello! I am a member of Class VII, Laura S. Arseid. Welcome to the academy!" The boy similarly introduces himself, lightly bowing, and saying "My name is Jusis Albarea, another member of Class VII. It is a pleasure to meet you both."

Then, Laura says "Are you two friends of Instructor Sara?" Sara shakes her head, and says "Not exactly. The young girl is Tita Russell, and she will be attending the academy next year. She's a mechanics and orbment wiz! And the burly guy is Agate, an A-ranked bracer, and although we're not personally acquainted, we've heard enough about each other through our work." Tita bows, and says "It's nice to meet you both!" Agate smiles, and says "Nice to meet ya guys. You two swordsmen?"

Laura smiles, and says "Yes! I am the current heir of the Arseid School of swordsmanship. I am currently performing my daily training, and getting to spar with Jusis was much more effective than practicing simple drills." Jusis nods and says "I was trained with the rapier since childhood, but I focus more on arts in combat so my blade is a secondary tool for me in combat. It's more of a noble duty than a passion, personally." Agate nods, and says "Noble, huh? I heard that Erebonia is big on that kind of thing." Jusis nods again, and says "That is correct. I am a part of one of the Four Great Houses, although I am not the one in line to be head of the family." Agate hums, and says "Huh, that's pretty neat. So does that mean you're a pretty big deal around here?" Jusis sighs, and says "In a way, yes. I don't enjoy the attention, so I try to keep a low profile. I also dislike the preferential treatment that I receive once people realize who I am, and more importantly, what I represent." Agate laughs, and says "I couldn't live a life like that, so I get it."

Then, Agate turns to Laura, and says "You said you follow the 'Arseid School? Is it like the Eight Leaves?" Laura nods, and says "In a sense, yes. I take it you are a swordsman as well?" Agate nods back, and says "Yep. I'm mainly self trained, although I got some pointers from Old Man Cassisus back in my early days as a bracer." Laura gasps, and says "Cassius… Do you mean the legendary Divine Blade?" Agate laughs, and says "You betcha. He kicked my ass more times than I'd like to admit, but I think I learned some things from him." Jusis then says "I've heard a lot of things about that man from various nobles. He has a bit of an infamous reputation here." Agate nods, and says "I've heard. And I'm sure that he's back in the military, he'll only become even more infamous here."

But as that conversation flowed, Laura's excitement couldn't be contained, so she eventually interrupts and says "This might be a bit forward, but would you grace me with a match, Agate? I'd love to test my skills against an experienced bracer." Agate grins, and says "You've got guts for such a young kid. But I'm always game for a good scrap!" Then, he turns to Sara, and says "You mind officiating this for us, Sara?" Sara nods, and says "Gladly! Tita, come stand by me, okay?" Tita follows after Sara, and then Sara turns to Laura and says "Now don't underestimate Agate just because he doesn't follow an official sword school. This is a good chance for you to see what other kinds of fighters exist in this world." Jusis looks on with interest, and says "I've heard that bracers are skilled individuals, so this will be an interesting match either way."

Laura readies herself, as Agate does the same and says "You're goin' up against Agate Crosner, an A-rank bracer known as the Heavy Blade! Now don't hold back on me!" Almost immediately, Laura could feel the powerful aura that Agate had, but she didn't let that stop her. Jusis also could easily tell how skilled Agate was, and it reminded him of the time that Instructor Sara challenged (and completely overwhelmed) him, Rean, and Machias Regnetz, another member of Thor's Class VII. She performs strike after strike, but Agate seems to parry and avoid each and every blow effortlessly. And he gets in many effective counters, showing that there was a wide gap between their skill levels. But what amazed Laura the most was how Agate used his blade, which was even larger than Laura's sword, with one hand.

After a few minutes of combat, Agate claims victory, knocking Laura down to the ground. Then, he extends an arm to her, and pulls her up, and says "That wasn't half bad… If you keep at it, you'll become a real good fighter one day." Laura smiles, and says "Thank you for the words of encouragement, Agate. And thank you for allowing me to challenge you." Jusis stares on wide eyed, and says "That was incredible. I can clearly see that we still have a long way to go as students here." But then, Laura takes a deep breath, and says "I'm surprised that you're so skilled, and yet haven't had any formal training." Agate smirks and says "There are a lot of ways to become strong. I've had a lot of experience as a bracer, for example. And I've had a lot of chances to practice swinging this heavy blade of mine."

Laura looks at Agate with amazement, and says "I had no idea… Would you consider formal training though?" Agate shakes his head, and says "Probably not. I can't see that helping me any more than sparring with other equally skilled people." After that fight, Sara claps and smiles, and then says "I think that was a good learning experience for you guys. How about we all have some lunch at the Trista café?" Laura and Jusis shake their heads, and choose to continue sparring a bit longer, saying their goodbyes to Agate and Tita.

 _With that, they all head to the café, ready to have some lunch..._

 **Midday, The Café, Trista**

 _Sara's group heads off to relax for lunch, while Kevin and Ries were already enjoying theirs..._

After Sara lead the rest of them to the café, Tita sees Kevin and Ries enjoying a lunch together, so she runs toward them happily. She heads up to them, and excitedly yells "Father Kevin! Ries! I'm so happy to see you guys again!" Kevin drops his fork, and says "Tita…? What're you doing here in Erebonia?" He then sees Agate, and says "Oh, you're here too, Agate? What's the occasion?" Agate sits down across from Kevin and Ries, and says "Tita's plannin' on going here next year, so I'm here to keep an eye on her. How bout you guys?" Kevin laughs and gives a sly wink, and says "Some official Church business. Sorry, but it's classified!" Ries rolls her eyes, and says "Kevin, you shouldn't tease them like that." Then, she smiles, and says "It's nice to see you both again as well!"

Then, Sara walks over, and says "So you guys are all acquainted?" Kevin nods, and says "Yeah. I've worked with these two in the past on a job." Ries smiles, and says "I've met them a bit later than Kevin did, but we worked closely together as well." Then, Kevin looks at Sara, and says "Oh, you're one of the academy instructors, right?" Sara grins, and says "That's right! Sara Valestein, at your service. I've heard that you're doing some work here as well, Mr. Priest!" Kevin winks in response, and says "You've got that right. We should get together and have a drink some night…" Sara smirks and says "Oh, you're gonna take me out like a gentleman? What would Aidios say, though…?" Kevin begins to speak, but Ries cuts him off, and says "She would tell you to focus on your job, Kevin." Then, she turns to Sara, and smiles while saying "I look forward to working with you, even if Kevin acts so irresponsibly."

 _The lunch continues, as Kevin and Ries catch up with Agate and Tita, with Sara getting to know them all better as well. And they continue to relax, and take the chance to unwind before they would need to continue their long days…_

 **Same Time, Above The Clouds, Near the Liberl-Erebonia**

 _In the large crimson airship The Courageous, three individuals were having a serious conversation. The first was an elegantly dressed blonde haired noble, the second was a large man in a purple military outfit, and the third was a blue haired similarly colored bearded man wearing a pilot's hat and a long ocean blue jacket._

The young noble looks at the rose that he was holding, and says "I hope that our actions are not too late…" The military man nods, and says "I hope so as well, Your Highness. Things are becoming more and more tense these days, and I fear that Thors will be a central point in it all." The young noble nods back, and says "Those students, especially Class VII, will need to weather the coming storm. Hopefully, our actions will give them more room to grow." The blue haired pilot heartily laughs, and says "We can only hope! But we really are starting with an exceptional individual…"

The young noble smiles, and says "Well, of course! I enjoy doing things magnificently and dramatically, so seeking out the Successor to the Divine Blade would be a perfect start for me…" The military man sighs, and says "Why must you always act with such flair, Prince Olivert…?" The blue haired pilot then raises an eyebrow, and says "Do you think he will accept our offer? I wonder if you only brought me along to use my title as the Radiant Blademaster as a way to brag to him…?" The prince laughs, and says "It is just who I am, my dear Mueller…" Mueller glares, as Olivert turns to Victor Arseid, and says "And I simply enjoy your company, my friend." And then Olivert smiles, and adds, saying "That man owes me a favor, anyway…"

 _And with that, time marches onwards, as Kevin prepares to introduce himself to his remaining targets, Crow Armbrust and Rean Schwarzer, while everyone else continues to plan and prepare for the coming storm…_

 **End Chapter 2**

 **Notes**

1) I actually planned for this chapter to cover a lot more ground, but I kept on adding more to it, that I felt that it would flow better if I split it up. I'll work on the next chapter as I have time. Now that I've got a full-time job, my free time is understandably cut short.

2) That bit at the end was supposed to be pretty obvious to fans of the series, while still keeping a bit of suspense in the air.

3) The match between Agate and Laura was a last minute addition, but after hearing about him being in Cold Steel 3, I couldn't resist them meeting and challenging each other

4) The idea for Estelle and Joshua having a hard time entering Erebonia normally also came from bits of info that I heard about CS III. It could have also been from someone rationalizing them not being in CS III though, on some forum somewhere. I can't remember for sure.

 **Review feedback**

To **Apex85** ) You're definitely correct on that observation. Now I've only fully played Cold Steel 1, because I never owned a PS3, so I'm waiting for the PC release for CS II for now. And I've also heard that Rean's ogre power gets expanded on a bit more in CS III, but I don't really want to draw too much from that game, since it's only just came out (to be fair, I was at least partially inspired for Tita's and Agate's role in my story by their involvement in CS III, or at least from all the pre-release info). And I want to mess around with my little idea that Rean could have a Stigma instead of what his actual power is. Hope you like the ideas and things that I run with, and thanks for the review!

To **KirochkaSveta** ) Thanks for enjoying my idea, and thanks for leaving your review! I hope I can make something cool with my little idea. Hope you like the rest of the story!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _A few short hours pass, as The Courageous flies through the sky, until it reaches and lands in a forest near Ruan, in Liberl…_

 **Early Evening, Ruan, Liberl**

As the three climb out of the airship, Mueller sighs and says "I hope no one noticed the ship. We don't want this trip being spread about on the news." Victor seals the airship door, and says "Not to worry! I made sure to take the least traveled routes, and land in a deserted location. We'll pull this off without a problem." Olivert laughs, and says "You are a man of many talents. I'm happy that you've chosen to stand by my side." Victor nods, and says "Of course. I'd much rather follow a unique third path. Neither faction of this struggle entices me much."

After that, they make the short walk into town, trying their best to remain unassuming. They head right for the building they were seeking, and enter it, and are greeted by a red-headed woman in a professional looking suit. She smiles, and says "Hello, and welcome to R&A Research! Are you the gentlemen who had scheduled a consultation this evening?" Olivert smiles, and pulls out his lute, and plays a short tune, before saying "My dear, you truly are lovely… And you are also correct."

The woman sighs, attempting to hide her displeasure, and says "The manager will come to see you shortly, but allow me to check my records before he arrives. You marked down that your name was Olivier?" He nods, and says "Absolutely… I am a traveling bard, and I seek to elate the hearts of whomever I meet in my travels…" The woman stares emotionlessly, as she says "I see…" But then, she grows silent, as she quietly mutters "Wait… a bard by that name and with that appearance…?"

Suddenly, her eyes narrow and her mouth opens wide, as she quickly pulls out an orbal handgun, and aims right for Olivert's face. Victor and Mueller look on with their hands near their weapons, as Olivert nervously laughs and says "Now now, my dear… I'm sorry if I bothered you with my charm. I will behave now…" Mueller sighs and says "Don't expect me to help. You need to learn when to behave, your highness…" Victor laughs and says "Are you sure it was clever to tease someone who holds a grudge against you?"

The woman continues to hold her handgun to Oliver's head, while saying "I'll have you pay for what you did to the colonel! You're a fool for coming back here!" But before the woman could fire, Mueller steps in, using his blade to separate the two, while saying "I'm sure you have perfectly valid reasons for harming this fool, but it would be problem if his highness were to be assassinated here, in Liberl." Hearing that, the woman steps back and stammers, saying "Highness…? The bard is royalty? And that style, that was the Vander style… The colonel told me how it looked… If that's the case, then the bard is actually…!"

Before she could finish her thought, a blonde man wearing casual business attire walks into the room and says "The mystery musician who helped thwart our plans two years ago was actually Prince Olivert of Erebonia..." The woman steps back, and says "S-sir!" The man continues, saying "Who would have imagined? The very same prince, who we planned to marry her highness Princess Klaudia off to, turned out to be the same one who helped foil our plans. Would you not call that irony, Kanone?"

After hearing that, she begrudgingly holsters her weapon, and says "That man ruined our plans, and now he has the nerve to come back? He must be here to finish us off… I won't let them come near you, Alan!"

She darts in front of the blond man, willing to use her own body as a shield if need be, but Olivert sighs, and says "That couldn't be further from the truth… We are here for purely diplomatic purposes, I promise you…" Kanone Almathea looks at the blond man, who nods, causing her to turn away in a huff, and say "You may be a prince, but you are just as much as a pig as before!"

And as she walks off, she stops and says "And if I hear anything off, there will be hell to pay…" Following that, Alan Richard sighs, and says "I'm sorry things went off to a rocky start… How about I make us some tea before we begin…?" Victor grins, and says "A hot cup of tea sounds marvelous right now!"

 **Same Time, The Old Schoolhouse, Trista**

Kevin was walking along the path toward the old schoolhouse building, as she mutters to himself, saying "This place is definitely giving off that kinda vibe… Makes me wonder just what's hidin' underneath it…" And when he enters the building, he sees two students dueling, one with a long curved blade and one with twin orbal guns. As he watches, he mutters, saying "The one with the sword is probably Rean, and the other guy should be Crow. But there's somethin' weird about that Crow kid's moves. Can't put my finger on it though…"

The two continue to battle, unaware of their guest, until they both run out of steam, deciding to call it a draw for the moment. But as they get ready to leave, Kevin begins to clap, startling both of them, as he says "That was some fightin'! They really teach you kids well here, huh?" Crow leans in to Rean, and says "Better be on your best behavior, buddy… We've got a priest in the room now…" Rean sighs, and says "You're one to talk, Crow…" Kevin just laughs, and says "Don't feel the need to be all nervous! I'm a pretty relaxed guy!"

Once that moment passed, Crow says "So what brings you in here, Mr. Priest? We don't get many clergymen on campus…" Kevin laughs, and says "I'm a travelin' priest , and I'm gonna be working at the Trista Chapel for the time being!" Crow then raises an eyebrow, and says "Well, what brings you here, in this building?"

Kevin scratches the back of his head, and says "Just exploring, I guess…?" Crow continues to eye Kevin suspiciously, but then Rean smiles, and says "Well, I'm Rean! It's nice to meet you, sir!" Crow then closes an eye, and says "And I'm Crow… Welcome to a relic of the academy's past, Mr. Priest…" Kevin smiles, and says "I'm Kevin Graham. Nice to meet ya guys!"

But after the introductions passed, Kevin sighs, and says "I'm gonna level with you two. I'm here on a pretty important job from the Church…" Rean pauses, and then says "Really? Wow!" Crow raises an eyebrow, and says "What kinda of job, Kev…?" Kevin grins, and says "Kev, huh? I like it!" But then, his smile fades, as he says "This mission is about locating a certain someone who is suspected to hold a very special power. An agent of the Church noticed the presence of this ability fairly recently, so I'm tryin to narrow it down a bit more."

Rean grows nervous, but Crow pushes him away slightly, and says "And why should we cooperate with your investigation, Kev? We're not devout guys or anything like that…" Rean remains silent, as Kevin sighs, and says "You're got a point, Crow. There's nothin' forcing you to help me out, but maybe I can help convince you guys a bit more…"

Neither of them understands what Kevin means, so he takes a deep breath and says "Technically, I shouldn't be telling you guys this, but I have a feelin' from up above that it'll pay off…" He pauses for a moment, as if trying to gather up a bit more dramatic tension, before saying "This mysterious kid with that crazy power I'm supposed to be looking for? I know a whole lot about that power they've got, because I've got the same power myself…"

Crow and Rean both audibly gasp, as Kevin watches proudly, knowing that his intuition was accurate, but maybe even happier that he revealed that in a dramatic fashion…

 **Half Hour Later, Ruan, Liberl**

Alan finishes making a nice pot of tea, and serves it to his guests, who have sat down at a table upstairs. And as he serves, he says "I think we should start with a few introductions. As you all probably know, my name is Alan Richard, and I was the former head of Liberl's Intelligence Division. Now, I lead this humble company."

Since Olivert already introduced himself earlier, Mueller says "We might have crossed paths before, but we haven't had much time to chat. My name is Mueller Vander, a major and a follower of the Vander sword school. It's a pleasure…" Then, Victor smiles, and says "And I'm Victor S. Arseid, current head of the same sword school. I'm glad I get to meet the successor to the Divine Blade himself!"

Hearing this, Alan gasps, and says "The Radiant Blademaster?" Then, he smiles, and says "It's an honor to meet you, sir." After this, Olivert takes a sip of his tea, and then says "Anyway, I'm here for a simple purpose, Colonel Ri-" But Alan suddenly interrupts him, and says "Please, just call me Alan; I am no longer in the military after all."

Olivert smiles, remembering that he still finds that to be a sour memory for him, so he continues, saying "Alan… I'd like to propose that you come join us, to help me support Thors Military Academy." Alan folds his arms, and says "You came here just to recruit me to assist an Erebonian academy? I'm sorry, but I believe you wasted your trip."

But Olivert shakes his head, and says "I disagree. It is not just about supporting the academy. It is also to assist in fighting off a much greater threat; one which you are closely aware of." Hearing this, Mueller sighs, and says "Olivert, save the theatrics, and just tell him what we need of him…" Olivert laughs, and says "I apologize, my precious Mueller…" Mueller glares, as Olivert ignores him, and continues, saying "The threat that we are facing is the secret society themselves; Ouroboros." Alan's eyes suddenly widen, as he realizes just how serious this situation was.

However, right after Olivert said this, a brown haired man with a well-groomed moustache walks into the room, causing everyone but Alan to be stunned into silence, as he hums and says "Seems like things are getting interesting…

 **Same Time, Northern Bose, Near the Liberl-Erebonia Border**

Near Haken Gate, Estelle, Joshua, and Reene were discussing their plan to sneak into Erebonia, although Estelle didn't seem very thrilled by the situation. She suddenly sighs, and says "Do we really have to do this…? This will be so uncomfortable…" Renne simply giggles, and says "I don't see the problem. You guys are already a couple, so what's a bit of extra acting on top of that?"

But Estelle stomps her foot and shakes her head, and says "This is too much though! And I don't even like being all lovey-dovey in public!" Joshua responds by smiling, and says "This might be the best way to get into Erebonia. And we need to get to Legram first, so doing this here would be most efficient."

Estelle was still not happy, so she shouts, saying "I don't want to pretend to be your wife!" Joshua smiles and sighs, as Renne smirks, and says "What? Don't you wanna marry Joshua?" Estelle instantly begins to blush, as she stammers quietly, saying "Of course… But not until we're older…" Renne giggles, and then says "It's just acting. You're a veteran Bracer, so you should be fine…" Hearing all of this, Estelle deeply exhales, and says "Fine… But only because Kloe helped us make a few fake passports and ID's!" Renne smirks, and says "It must be handy to have a crown princess as a best friend, huh?"

Joshua nods, and says "I don't enjoy asking Kloe to do this kind of less than legal favor for us, but this is a dire situation." Estelle clenches her fist, and says "You bet! No way I'm gonna let those Ouroboros jerks mess with a bunch of innocent students!" Renne smiles mischievously, as she says "And I really want to play with them…" Estelle and Joshua eye Renne suspiciously, as she innocently raises her hands, and says "Don't worry; I'll be reasonable…"

But then Estelle happily claps, and says "Well, it's getting late, so we should go back to the inn for the night! I know I'm not the only starved one here!" Renne grins, and says "Yay! Dinner time!" Joshua follows behind, while smiling, happy that Renne could still act like a child at times…

 **Same Time, The Old Schoolhouse, Trista**

Rean and Crow were both silent, while taking in Kevin's revelation, as he says "Well, what do ya think…?" Crow smirks, and says "I don't know, Kev… It sounds a bit too convenient for it to be true…" Hearing this, Kevin grins and says "So, do you wanna demonstration?" Rean looks on seriously, as Crow winks and says "Why not?"

Kevin suddenly takes a deep breath, and then closes his eyes, and begins to chant, saying:

" _Oh great goddess in heaven, watch over me with care. Allow me to bear the fangs you have blessed unto me!"_

Suddenly, a strange glowing red symbol appeared just behind Kevin's back. It had 3 symmetrical points, with strange looking text in the form of a circle. And when Rean saw this, he felt like he understood and recognized the sensation. His eyes grow wide, as he says "Do you really have the same power as I do…?" Kevin nods, and says "I believe so. It'll be vitally important for you to learn how to control it, so I'm offering my services. Free of charge even!"

After that, Kevin deactivates his Stigma, and deeply exhales. Crow then taps his chin, and says "Well, it definitely looks cool, but does it make you a lot stronger?" Kevin nods, and says "Pretty much exactly. In its most raw form, it will heighten your physical abilities to an extreme degree. But if you don't have any training with it, you'll become a mindless beast." Then, Kevin turns to Rean, and says "Has it manifested often for you?"

Rean shakes his head, and says "Only a few times, really. It happened back when we found that strange construct down here, and…" Rean physically winces, and then he continues, saying "And… it also happened when I was a kid, back when I was trying to protect my younger sister." Crow smiles, and puts his arm on Rean's shoulder, and says "You don't need to push yourself, buddy." Then, he turns to Kevin, and says "This was a bit of a sour moment for him, just for the record…"

But Kevin shakes his head, and says "Sorry, but this is the exact memory that I want to explore." Crow sighs, and says "I thought priests were supposed to be nice, Kev?" Kevin laughs to himself lightly, and says "Technically, I'm actually a knight of the Gralsritter order, so I don't need to be gentle or caring like you might expect from a typical priest…" Then, he turns to Rean again, and says "Tell me about that early experience. That was probably the first time your Stigma manifested. What kinds of emotions did you go through?"

Rean takes a deep breath, and then says "Well, Elise, my sister, and I were playing around in the woods near my parent's manor. I was practicing with my sword, while she watched, but then a large monster suddenly approached us, so I instinctively got between it and Elise. I planned on just buying her some time, but then I was overcome with some kind of energy, and the next thing I knew, the monster was dead." Kevin thinks for a moment, but then he says "Did that bloodlust extend to your sister as well, in that moment?"

Crow surprisingly reacts shockingly, and says "The heck's wrong with you, Kev? That's his sister, why would he feel like that?" Rean remains silent, as Kevin says "It's alright. No one will judge you here." So Rean takes a deep breath, and then he says "Yes… For a moment, I felt like I wasn't finished, as if the threat wasn't eliminated. So I turned to Elise, but before I could do anything else, I think I passed out, because the next thing I can remember is being in bed…"

After all of this, Kevin puts his hand on Rean's shoulder, and says "It's not your fault, Rean. When a Stigma awakens in that way, the bearer will view anything living as an enemy." Then, he sadly sighs, and says "Back when I was a squire, I had a run in with a dangerous group of Jaegers, and in the process my Stigma awakened, and I inadvertently ended the life of someone dear to me. It took a long time for me to truly come to terms and accept it, and my Stigma, so I don't want to see someone else suffer what I did."

Rean and Crow were completely silent, overwhelmed by Kevin's story, but then he laughs and says "Sorry for gettin' a bit heavy, but I wanted to get it out of the way." Then, Rean takes a deep breath, and then says "So, what can I do…?" Crow nods, and then says "Yeah, it sounds like Rean's only option is to become a pious priest like you" Kevin shakes his head, and says "Nah, there're options, but why don't we save that for tomorrow?" Then, he stretches and yawns, and says "I'm feeling a bit exhausted…"

But then Rean notices an ornate looking cube hanging from Kevin's cloak, so he says "By the way, Kevin? What's that strange looking object on your robe…?" Kevin smiles, remembering back from all the craziness that spawned from the Arca of Recluse, but then he says "Oh, that's just a little keepsake from a particularly wild mission. Maybe I'll tell ya about it sometime…" Part of him wonders why he wanted to keep that thing around, but since it seemed to lose its power as an artifact, it shouldn't be a problem.

 _Following that, Kevin wishes both students a good night, and then heads out of the Old Schoolhouse, and walks over to the café…_

 **Late Evening, Kirsche's Café, Trista**

 _Kevin decides to have a short drink and relax in the fresh air, before heading back to end the night…_

While Kevin was relaxing at one of the outdoor café tables, a young long-haired brunette woman wearing red-framed glasses walks up to Kevin, and smiles while saying "Mind if I join you?" Kevin smiles back, and says "Of course! I'll need to thank the goddess later, for guiding such a beautiful woman to me tonight…" The woman giggles, and says "Oh my… You seem like the flirtatious type. And a priest as well?" Kevin just smiles, and says "What can I say? We're not all stuffy and boring."

Once the woman sits down, Kevin says "The name's Kevin. It's a pleasure to meet'cha Ms…" The woman smiles, and says "Misty. I'm Misty. It's not every day I get to meet such a dashing young man…" Kevin takes a sip of his drink, and says "That's quite a compliment… Are you a local?" Misty sips from her drink as well, and then says "Kind of… I live in the capital, but I commute down here for my job. I'm an orbal radio DJ, and I host the show Abend Time. Have you heard of it?"

Kevin shakes his head, and says "Can't say I have… I've only just gotten here the other day. I'll try and check it out, if someone as elegant as you are hosting it…" Misty giggles, and says "You really are too much, Kevin Graham…" On the outside, Kevin laughs in response, but he also wonders how she knew his last name. And as they chatted over their drinks, he noticed an almost sickening aura coming from her, one that reminded him of a certain despicable heretical bishop.

Following that thought, the Recluse Cube suddenly began to glow, completely shocking Kevin. He expected to be dragged back into that crazy world of Phantasma, but then the cube just as suddenly grew dark again, causing him to feel deep relief. But when he looks at Misty, she had reacted as if she also knew about the Cube as well, causing him to eye her a bit more suspiciously.

Then, she smiles, and says "It seems like excitement practically follows you around, Mr. Number Five. But be careful, because I'd hate to see such an interesting and adorable man be devoured by the lurking snake…" Following that, she finishes her drink and confidently walks away, causing Kevin to laugh to himself for a few moments. Then, he deeply sighs, and says to himself, saying "She sure made things obvious. I heard that the society is moving about in Erebonia, but I never thought they'd be this confident. Seems like this assignment will be one for the record books…"

 _After that revelation, Kevin finishes his drink and walks back to his lodging, ready to end this hectic day…_

 **End Chapter 3**

 **Notes**

Sorry for the long wait, but I've been busy. Hopefully the wait was worth it!

I've got some endgame ideas that I hope people find interesting, so a lot of this will be me laying the groundwork for that. An obvious part of that is Olivert travelling around to recruit additional allies, with Alan Richard being the first one.

 **Review Responses**

Apex85

I think you've made a lot of valid points, although I personally do not dislike the aspects that you brought up. I actually really like it when the main characters of a game/anime/manga get bailed out by a stronger supporting character, because it shows off what level the main characters can eventually reach. But I can understand that, if used too frequently, it can get frustrating.

I'm actually gonna make a slight change to how I'm structuring it. I think I'm going to begin spreading the events of my story over the regular field studies. I won't actually go over them, but they won't be affected by any of the characters that I introduce. This way, it won't feel like Class VII is getting an easy pass over their personal growth moments. The major events for my story will take place during the time outside of field studies.

Hopefully, that will act as a happy medium. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Same Time, Class VII Dormitory, Trista**

Kevin walked over to his lodging, which turned out to be the Class VII building, and entered, hoping for a relaxing night…

Kevin walks into the building, and sees a light purple haired maid dusting one of the shelves. She turns to him, and says "So you must be the young priest who will be staying here? Master Kevin, I believe?"

She then bows, as Kevin smiles and says "Wow, didn't expect that the kids here were so spoiled. But yeah, I'm Kevin all right. And you are?"

The maid rises back up, and says "Sharon Kreuger, the multi-maid of the Reinford Family. Pleased to make your acquaintance... Will you need anything, Master Kevin? Your room is the one to the upper left, and everything is prepared."

Kevin nods, and says "You really are the real deal, thanks a lot! A bit of tea would be nice. And you can just call me Kevin! I'm not all that into formalities..." Sharon bows again, and walks into the kitchen to prepare the tea, while Kevin sits down in the common room.

And once Sharon returns with the tea, the two of them begin to chat. And as Kevin drinks his tea, he smirks, and says "This tea is great, but I gotta get this out in the open, alright?" Sharon merely looks at Kevin curiously, as he continues, saying "Well, I'm a pretty high rankin' member of the Gralsritter, so I know your true identity, Ms. Severing Chains…"

Sharon looks at Kevin suspiciously, as she says "So you do... What now, Father Kevin?"

Kevin smiles, and says "Well, the church doesn't see your society as a whole as an enemy, it was just a few certain problematic members. All I wanna know, is if I need to worry about ya…"

Sharon smiles back, and says "I do not wish to reveal everything, but I can say for sure that we are not enemies, Father Kevin. I consider myself on leave from the society for the moment, and I do not have much contact with them as of now."

Hearing this, Kevin laughs to himself lightly, and says "Well, that's some good news right there! And if you ever feel like joinin' up with the good guys, just give me a shout!"

He walks away, as Sharon replies, saying "I can't say I'd go that far. And I'm sure that you're well aware, but our world is no way near that cut and dry. So thanks, but no thanks, Father Kevin..."

Kevin merely laughs to himself again, and says "Well, it was worth a shot… Have a nice night, Sharon!"

 **Same Night, R &A Research, Ruan**

 _The conversation between Olivert and Alan were beginning to get more exciting, as an unexpected visitor joined them…_

There was a short period of silence, but then Olivert finally breaks that silence, and says "I didn't expect to see you here, Cassius Bright…" Then, he pauses, and says with a smile "It's not unwelcome, just unexpected. It is splendid to see you again…"

Cassius grins, and says "Well, I heard about this planned meeting from Alan, and I just had to drop by. But I wasn't expecting to see such a colorful bunch tonight!" He turns to Mueller first, and says "The highly skilled heir to the Vander style, although you're not all that unexpected, given Olivert's involvement." Mueller nods, as Cassius then turns to Victor, and makes a surprised face, and says "But I definitely didn't expect to meet you here, of all places and circumstances…"

Victor heartily laughs, and says "I can say the same! The Divine Blade and the Radiant Blademaster, meeting in the dead of night… Good thing there aren't any reporters around. This would be a fun story…"

Cassius sighs, and says "I even know a few, and I have no desire for spotlight. I'm sure my daughter would just shout at me…" But then, he clears his throat, and says "Anyway, you have a daughter as well, don't you? How is she?"

Victor beams, and says "Excellent! She's enjoying her first year at Thors, and she's made a whole group of friends. I just hope she'll discover more hobbies than swordsmanship…" Olivert and Alan share a look, both knowing that their serious conversation might need to wait a few minutes.

Cassius sighs, and says "I know exactly what you mean. Estelle acts like such a tomboy, that I'm practically amazed that she got a boyfriend. But she's doing well as a Bracer, so I'm proud, despite my complaints."

Victor grins, and says "We're their parents! Who else will bother them with these kinds of things?"

After that, both masters share a laugh, while Alan clears his throat, and says "I don't wish to interrupt, but maybe we should finish our business?" Both of them apologize, while Cassius grabs a chair to join them, ready to listen to Olivert.

Then, Olivert says "As I mentioned, I believe that Ouroboros is planning something sinister, and it involves Thors Military Academy on some level." But then he pauses, and says "Now, I don't think they're acting out in the open presently, but we've gathered evidence that shows that they have been supporting the Noble Faction, as well as the terrorist group, The Imperial Liberation Front, who have both been contributing to the growing tensions within Erebonia, and many fear that a civil war could break out."

Alan nods, and says "That sounds like them. They find a group of misguided fools to manipulate, before swooping in once they've made all their preparations." Alan looks down sullenly, as Cassius puts a hand on his shoulder.

Cassius shakes his head, and says "Alan… They picked at your weaknesses, and who knows how that Gospel device affected you. Don't dwell on the past. Instead, focus on how to make a better future along with your peers."

Olivert nods, and then says "The point is that the center point of all of this will be the Academy, so I wish to gather people I can trust to help combat this. I have no doubt that in the most key parts of their plans, they will send out their monstrously powerful Enforcers along with whatever forces they've committed to this."

But Alan narrows his eyes, and says "What makes you think they will focus on this academy? Wouldn't it make more sense to target the Emperor or Chancellor Osborne?"

Olivert smiles, and says "A fair assumption, but there is something that I am sure that Ouroboros desperately wants. Deep in the old school house building, there lies either a Sept-Terrion, or at least a part of one."

Alan's eyes widen, as she says "What? You mean like the Aureole? How can you be sure?"

Olivert proceeds to explain the nature of the old school house, referring to the notes taken by Class VII during their investigations. The points that he focuses on are the strange way the layout of the building changes, the odd creatures lurking in it, and the guardians that seemed to be protecting something mysterious.

Once Olivert finishes explaining, Alan says "They tried to take on an entire nation, and plotted years in advance, just to obtain the Aureole. I can believe something like this."

Then, Olivert says "Am I right to presume that you've come to an answer?"

Alan nods, and says "I consider Ouroboros to be a grave threat to Liberl, so if I can disrupt their plans abroad, I would gladly join you." He then stands to shake Olivert's hand, as Cassius looks on proudly. Mueller and Victor share a sigh of relief, glad that their trip started off on a good note.

Then, Cassius says "So, what are the rest of your plans, Olivert? I'm not standing here as a military officer, just a friend. So no need to feel apprehensive on sharing!" He laughs, as Olivert chuckles back.

And then, Olivert says "I have at least one more stop, to meet with a skilled martial artist. That one's a bit of a farther distance away, but the Courageous shouldn't have any issues."

Victor nods, and adds, saying "We'll probably need to make one rest stop, but I've charted out a few spots where we can stay without arousing any attention."

Hearing that, Olivert stands, and says "Well, we had best get going…" Then, he turns to Cassius, and says "It was a pleasure, as always! I hope we can have a more relaxed meeting next time…"

Cassius smiles, and says "Likewise… You had best all be careful! Ouroboros are a highly crafty bunch, but I know I don't need to remind any of you." Then, he turns to Victor and says "It was great meeting you. My daughter might be a bit older than yours, but we should introduce them. She's so lax that she'd have no problem making friends with an academy student…"

Victor laughs, and says "That sounds marvelous! And I'm happy about our meeting as well…"

 _After that, Olivert leads the group out of the building, after Alan explains everything to Kanone and saying his goodbyes to her, making their way to the Courageous, to embark to their next destination…_

 **Middle of the Night, Class VII Dormitory, Trista**

 _As everyone in the dormitory slept, for some strange reason, Kevin's Recluse Cube began to glow…_

Rean, who was soundly sleeping, suddenly woke up to find himself in a strange looking building. The walls were incredibly high, with shelves filled to the brim with books. And as Rean walked around, he noticed that there wasn't even a ceiling, as he could see the sky from where he was. But the sky seemed oddly dark, with an insane amount of stars littered about.

But the oddest part was a faint sound of an organ playing, so he decided to follow it. And as he walked, he thought to himself, thinking 'Am I dreaming…? I don't remember traveling here. Maybe I should explore some more…'

And as he walked, he noticed a hallway, with shelves of books on either side of him, with a dark red carpet. At the very end was what looked like a navy blue haired man playing the organ that he heard earlier. He seemed to be dressed in a kind of religious garb, but he also had a light green coat over it.

One Rean arrived, the man stopped playing, and turned to him, and said "Ahh, you've arrived. Welcome to my study, Rean Schwarzer…" Rean looked at the man suspiciously, as he thought to himself, thinking 'Who is he, and how does he know my name… Maybe this really is just a dream…'

Rean looks up, and replies, saying "This is an impressive building. Were you the one playing?"

The man smiles, and says "I learned the organ as a bit of a hobby of mine." Then, he walks toward Rean, and adds, saying "I am a bit of a scholar and a historian. You may call me, Professor Alba…"

Rean nods, and says "Well, it's nice to meet you, Professor. Where is this place?"

Alba looks around for a moment, before saying "This place… This place is a kind of intersection between dimensions…" Rean scratches his head, and thinks to himself, thinking 'Dimensions…? This _has_ to be a dream…'

After that, Rean says "Well, why am I here, Professor?"

Alba scratches his chin, and says "I wonder if it has to do with your Stigma…" Rean looks on at Alba with shock, as Alba continues, saying "I did say that I was a scholar, didn't I? I focus on church teachings and studies, and I have performed a great deal of research in those strange occurrences…"

Now, Rean was much tenser than he was before, so he backed away slowly, as he says "What do you want with me?"

Alba smiles, and says "I merely wish to help you, young man… A Stigma is a dangerous thing indeed, so why not find a way to perfectly control it? I believe this would be a perfect way to prove your worth to your family, wouldn't you agree?"

Rean freezes in his tracks, and says "W…. what…?"

Alba smirks, and says "Of course… Do you think that your family would truly be happy with you becoming some priest? I can help you…" But after he says this, the sky starts to light up, as the wind starts to blow intensely, causing him to mutter "It seems our time is nearly up…"

Then, Alba smiles and says "I do not need an answer today, Rean… But please consider my offer, at the very least. I am sure that we can help each other…"

Suddenly, Rean disappears from the strange location, causing Alba to say "Kevin might not have worked out, but I believe I can make something out of Rean. I never would have guessed a Stigma would develop in the perfect specimen." Then, he pauses, and says "Soon, all of my research shall bear fruit…"

He starts to laugh to himself, as he walks back to his organ, to play a haunting tune while remaining in the odd landscape…

 **The Following Morning, Class VII Dormitory, Trista**

Rean wakes up, and rubs his eyes as he mutters to himself, saying "What a strange dream… But it's just a dream, so better just get on with my day. I've got a lot to do, especially with Father Kevin helping me out…"

 _Rean proceeds to walk downstairs, ready to start his day…_

 **Author Notes**

1) The inclusion of 'Professor Alba' was a big part of what I have planned in the future. For people wondering how he could show up, I'm basing it off what happens in Trails in the Sky The 3rd when he states that he will always exist in the world of Phantasma. So I hope you all find his role in the story interesting!

2) I feel like I will start having time skips, where the Class VII guys do their field studies, to kind of keep things moving chronologically. I will make it obvious when these things occur though.

3) Also, Trails of Cold Steel 2 is coming out on PC soon, so most of my free time will be taken playing that. If any of you are fans and haven't played Cold Steel 2 yet (like me) consider getting the game! It comes out Feb 14.

Take care!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 _Rean quickly had some breakfast, before walking down to the old school house, so he could get some lessons from Father Kevin. Since this was a free day, he'd be busy enough from all the student council tasks, so he wanted to get this done first thing..._

 **Morning, The Old School House, Trista**

When Rean enters the school house, he sees Kevin sitting on a bit of rubble, while reading a book. And when Kevin sees him, he waves and says "I've heard that you'll be pretty busy today... Let's get started then!"

After saying that, he gets up, as Rean asks "How can I prevent this ability from harming my friends? I don't want them to risk their lives just for me..."

Kevin smiles, and says "Well, you've got a few options, so how about I lay them out for you. The first option would be to join up with me as a squire, where I'll show you the ropes until you can properly use your Stigma."

Hearing this, Rean says "Would I still be able to finish up my time at Thors?"

Kevin gives Rean a thumbs up, and says "Of course! The big wigs just wanted to know about the new Stigma bearer, so they won't care if it takes us a few years before you're ready." Then, he winks, and adds, saying "You're still young, after all!"

Following this, Kevin says "Now the second option is a bit more straightforward. If you end up not wanting to join up with the Church, for whatever reason, I am authorized to remove your Stigma. The process might sting a bit, and you'll probably be stuck in bed for a few days, but you won't risk losing control ever again."

Rean's eyes widen, as he says "I never even thought about removing it..."

Kevin simply nods, and says "You would lose a lot of potential for growth though. I'd personally save that as a last resort. And besides, I think I'm a pretty cool boss, so you'd have a nice experience!"

Rean laughs to himself, as he says "I don't doubt that. I think I'll need some time to decide, do you think we can start practicing for now?"

Kevin smiles, and says "You betcha! I'll give you pointers as you go..."

 **Same Time, Rolent Region, Liberl-Erebonia Border**

 _Estelle, Joshua, and Renne were all approaching an Erebonian check point. Joshua was wearing a suit, Estelle was wearing a fancy dress with a sun hat, and Renne ditched her typical attire for a more subdued child-like outfit. It seems that they were about to enact some kind of plan..._

As they walked, Estelle mumbles, saying "I still can't believe we're doing this..."

Joshua just smiles, and says "Well, we can't just say who we are. The two of us are suspicious here because of Dad, and..." He looks down at Renne, who simply smiles innocently at them.

She begins to giggle, as she says "I know that I'm a dangerous element too... I'm curious to see if this works or not..."

Hearing this, Estelle sighs and says "You should be more worried too! If this fails, we'll be in big trouble..."

But soon, they reach the check point, as a soldier examines them, before saying "Are you all travelling to Erebonia today? Present your identification papers!"

Estelle makes a wide grin, as she fumbles through a bag, while saying "Oh right away sir! My husband and I are going to celebrate our honeymoon! I've heard that Lake Ebel is beautiful this time of year!"

The soldier disinterestedly nods, saying "It is a popular attraction for sure. And who is the girl?"

Suddenly, Renne hops over to the soldier, and announces, saying "Hi! My name is Anne! I'm going on vacation with Auntie and Uncle!"

After saying this, the solidier looks through their paperwork, and then walks back to his desk, while saying "These look to be in order, but give me a second..." He goes to check a list of individuals who could pose a danger to Erebonia, and as he checks, Renne looks at Joshua, before walking to the desk. The soldier notices her, and says "Can I help you, girl?"

Renne smiles, and says "I wanted to ask a question! I heard Mommy and Daddy yelling about me going on vacation with Auntie and Uncle. Then, Daddy said something about them being too busy for me, and Mommy yelled about that being inappropriate. But when they noticed me, they got silent and told me to ignore what I heard. Do you know what they meant, Mr. Soldier?"

The soldier, along with many of the other soldiers nearby, all suddenly stopped what they were doing, when they realized what the young Liberlian was saying. Estelle blushed heavily in response as well, while Joshua remained silent. Renne kept up an air of innocence, while one soldier muttered to another, whispering "Are all Liberlians like this..." But the other one hushes him, and says "Quiet! They might hear you..."

After all of this, the soldier checking them cleared his throat, and says "You all are free to go! Hurry on up and get going..." Estelle proceeds to lead everyone out of the check point area, while hiding her head from sheer embarrassment. And once they reach a secluded path, the three of them group up to discuss what just happened back there.

Estelle glares at Renne, as she yells, saying "Why'd you say that? I know we were posing as a married pair, but you didn't need to make things so awkward!"

Renne merely smirks at her, and says "It was obvious that they were going to notice that the paperwork wasn't entirely legitimate. So I just decided to do something to distract them. Besides, you guys are a couple, so who cares?"

Hearing this, Estelle blushes heavily, and says "You don't need to be so blunt about these things! I hate being all lovey-dovey in public anyway!"

Joshua suddenly coughs, and says "Anyway, we should get going. Hopefully we'll reach Legram by sundown..."

But Estelle glares at Joshua as well, and says "You're not off free either mister! You stayed silent the whole time!"

Joshua simply smiles, and says "I just thought that you were doing a great job. And Renne's distraction did work, so we should be thankful..."

Estelle then just sighs, and says "I know... Let's just go then..."

 _The group then resumes their journey to Legram, trying their best to use the less popular and traveled roads to get there..._

 **Mid-Afternoon, Outskirts of Celdic, Erebonia**

 _A mysterious orange haired man, clad in a black suit and matching black sunglasses, was walking about, leading a small group of jaegers. And at the same time, a blue haired army captain was slowly tailing him..._

As the man was walking, he lights a cigarette, and mumbles to himself, muttering "Wonder if this job will be as interesting as the last one... Maybe I'll get in a few good scraps too..." But then, one of the jaegers says "Sir! Shouldn't we avoid walking around publically? We might arouse attention, especially with someone like you leading us..."

The man sighs, and says "Of course we're gonna garner attention, genius... I'm bored, and I wanna see what happens..." But then, he suddenly stops, and says "Hold up, boys... Seems like we've got company..."

The Jaegers all prepare themselves, as a woman in military attire walks up to them, with her orbal pistol drawn. The woman then says "We've heard reports of a jaeger group wandering around here. Normally, that wouldn't be out of the ordinary, but then we heard them attacking a provincial army patrol. Identify yourselves!"

The orange haired man simply takes another drag of his cigarette, as he says "How about you first, then maybe I'll share..." The woman glares, with her gun still drawn, as the jaegers all keep their hands close to their weapons as well.

Then, she says "I'm Captain Claire Rieveldt of the Railway Military Police. Now will you identify yourself?"

The man chuckles to himself lightly, and says "The Icy Maiden, huh? I've heard a bit about you... They call me the Direwolf. That's all you're gettin' today..."

But Claire just says "Who you are is irrelevant in the end. You've assaulted members of the provincial army, so you are officially under arrest. Will you surrender?"

The jaegers just laugh to themselves, as one of them says "What does she expect to do…?" Another sneers, and says "Yeah, there's 6 of us here and the boss too!"

Then, the man says "Well boys, go on and show me what you've got... I expect a good show..." But one of the jaegers turns to him, and says "You're not fighting boss?" The man shakes his head, and says "Nope. Now get to it..."

Following that, the jaegers attempt to surround the captain, but Claire is able to out move them at every turn. Any time one jaeger would try to attack her; she'd redirect another jaeger to get in the way, keeping them from making any progress. And as this went on, the jaegers grew frustrated, which only made their attacks sloppy and easier to predict. The Direwolf simply watched, as he muttered, saying "She's definitely skilled. Not sure if I'd have a good time brawling with her though. She seems more like the tactical type."

Eventually, the jaegers grow tired, as one of them yells, "How the hell is she doing this?" Another jaeger shouts, "She's making fools of us!" And another one mutters, saying "And she's not even fighting us back..."

But Claire smiles, and says "Who said anything about that?" Then, she snaps her fingers, and suddenly, 5 RMP members rush out from behind various structures and pieces of nature, causing the jaegers to back away nervously.

The Direwolf merely sighs to himself, and says "Are they really that useless? It was obvious that she was setting up an ambush..."

Then, Claire says "Well then? Will you surrender now? You can plainly see that you are surrounded..." As the jaegers look at each other nervously, the Direwolf slowly walks forward, while pulling out another cigarette. He then lazily light it up, before saying "You did a good job here, but I've gotta keep these runts alive, so I'm gonna have to decline your offer..."

Claire starts to say "What do you—" but then, she was cut off as the man suddenly disappeared from view. And just as suddenly, each one of her subordinates were knocked out, as the man decisively struck them down with his fists, before returning to the front of his squad.

Then, he simply walks off, ushering his men to follow him, which they hurriedly do so, with their collective pride shattered. Claire looks on in shock, as her squad was reduced to their knees by a single person. She then mutters to herself, saying "Who was this 'Direwolf'…? I need to find out. Someone like that is a danger to Erebonia..."

 **Same Time, Thors, Trista**

 _By this time, Rean was starting on this month's worth of student council tasks, and he had quite a few this time. As he was doing so, he bumped into Agate, who was practicing with his blade, and Tita, who was working on some advanced blueprints..._

Tita notices him, and waves while smiling, saying "Hi Rean! Thors really is nice!"

Agate puts down his blade, and says "Hey there! You look pretty busy..."

Rean smiles, and explains what he does for each month's allotted 'free day'. And once he explains this, Agate hums, and says "That sounds like Bracer work. Did Sara come up with this?"

Rean nods, and says "Kind of. She at least suggested I do this, so I could help out Towa, the class president, with some of her work. It's been pretty fun, honestly."

Hearing this, Agate taps his chin and says "Maybe you'd want to try out as a Brace when you graduate? You've already got a lot of experience, so it should be an easy transition."

Rean smiles in response, and says "That's a cool idea, and I've never really considered Bracer work, but maybe I'd enjoy it. Is it really that similar to our field studies?"

Agate nods, and says "Well, from what I heard from Sara, they're like condensed forms of the Bracer job. The biggest thing a Bracer needs to be successful is the ability to think quickly and critically. It helps to be good at fighting, but honestly, that's secondary to doing the actual jobs. A lot of our work won't even involve fighting. You could be asked to investigate a stolen item, help escort a merchant to a nearby town, or even look for a lost pet."

Hearing all of this, Rean smiles, and says "Thanks for all the info, Agate! I'll definitely consider the Bracer Guild after I graduate, at the very least."

Agate lightly pats Rean's shoulder, and says "Good to hear! We can always use competent new members.

But after all of this, Tita gets up and says "Agate! Let's help Rean out with his tasks!"

Agate raises an eyebrow, and says "Hah? What made you decide this all of a sudden?"

Tita simply grins, and says "Hearing that Rean does all this reminded me about when we helped out Estelle and Joshua all those times..."

Rean then says "Who are Estelle and Joshua?"

Agate answers, saying "They're old friends of ours..." Then, he pauses, and then adds, saying "And you know what? We'll give you a hand today. It'd be good to see how you do in person..."

Rean smiles, and says "Thanks! I really appreciate the help, especially with today's list..."

 _The trio then proceeded to work through the day's tasks, until night eventually came..._

 **Early Evening, The Old School House, Trista**

At this time, Kevin and Sara were both finishing a short trip from the depths of the school house. And as they sat down, Sara asks "So, what did you think?"

Kevin scratches his head, and says "Yeah, it's definitely got the vibe of artifacts all right... I'm still not sure what exactly is hiding under here."

Then, Sara says "Well, what do you think of all the strange written messages inside?"

Kevin taps his chin, and then says "If I were a betting man, I'd guess that they are part of some kind of 'trial'. If those Class VII guys are the ones investigating this place, then they might be the ones being tested. You guys will just have to support them so they're able to finish the trial."

 _Following that conversation, both of them leave the building and go to perform their respective nightly duties..._

 **Notes:**

1) With this chapter, I've introduced one of the enforcers to the story. And after playing some of Cold Steel II, I've wanted to find a way to include Captain Claire, so hopefully this includes her smoothly.

2) The part with Estelle and company was meant to culminate with Renne bringing up something that a kid her age wouldn't typically talk about, which was what caused their reactions. Of course, Renne merely used it as a way to avoid detection. I hope this scene was clear.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _Soon, morning comes, and Kevin decides to check out the Old School House one more time, before going about the rest of his day..._

* * *

 **Early Morning, The Old School House, Trista**

When Kevin enters the main hall of the school house, he spots Crow relaxing on one of the nearby low ledges, reading a book. And when Kevin sees him, he walks over, and says "Looks like you're up early today, Crow. How's it going...?"

Crow smiles, and says "It's going, Kev... I'm doing a bit of cramming for a test this afternoon, so the school house seems like the perfect place."

Kevin nods, and says "Yeah, nobody's gonna wander around here, especially at this time..."

After that, things get a bit quiet, as Kevin thinks to himself, thinking 'This might be a good chance to question Crow a bit. After seeing his combat style and getting that briefing on the ILF, I need to confirm something to myself...'

A bit more awkward silence passes, as Crow eventually says "So you just enjoying the peace and quiet, Kev?"

Kevin shakes his head, and says "Well, I wanted to check out the school house a bit more, but I also kinda want to get your opinion, as a citizen of this country, since I'm not from around here..."

Hearing this, Crow closes one eye, and says "Alright Kev; shoot..."

* * *

 _Following that, Kevin begins to question Crow, wanting to test something for himself..._

Kevin starts, saying "I keep on hearing about how prideful folks are here, and I've been all over, so what's your opinion on Erebonia?"

Crow responds by tilting his head slightly, and saying "What; like in general?"

Kevin nods, so Crow continues, saying "Well, I can't exactly call myself an ultra loyal citizen. I'm sure it's mostly because I'm proudly lazy, but I just don't get into all that stuff personally."

Hearing this, Kevin scratches his chin, and says "I get ya Crow. I travel all around, so I can't say I'm incredibly loyal to any one state. Though I guess I'm loyal to the Church, for obvious reasons." Then he pauses, and adds, saying "Now this next question should be good... How do you feel about your chancellor, Mr. Osborne?"

After asking this, Crow grows a bit quieter than usual, and asks "Can I be upfront with you, Kev?"

Kevin nods, and says "Feel free to speak your mind, kiddo..."

Crow laughs to himself, and says "You can't be that much older than me, man..." But then he sighs, and then says "But to be completely blunt, I can't stand the guy. He's arrogant, and everyone treats him like he's some savior, even though he causes a whole lot of problems for folks." Then, Crow loses his typical relaxed tone, as he adds, saying "It pisses me off, because people just assume that because the nobles are a bad lot, that Osborne can't be as bad."

Hearing this, Kevin just nods, and says "That's an interesting take. Most people I see around Erebonia side with either the nobles or the government. How does Osborne cause problems, speaking from a guy pretty ignorant to Erebonian matters?"

Crow answers, saying "It's all the damn expanding! Yeah, people in Erebonia proper benefit, but the guys who get trampled over have their lives ruined..."

After that outburst, Kevin taps his chin, before saying "I can respect your views Crow. Now I've got another question, since you've got such strong opinions on the state of things here. Would you ever commit terroristic acts, if it meant usurping Osborne and stopping these expansionist policies?"

Crow's eyes immediately widen, as he says "What kinda question is that, Kev? Just because I've got a few strong opinions, doesn't mean I'd do something like that..."

Kevin just smiles, and says "Well, normally I'd agree with ya, but then I saw few things while being around Thors. Ya see, I got briefed on the ILF when I got here, and their leader had me curious. And when I saw you sparring with Rean when I met you guys, I immediately noticed that you were holding back a bit..."

Crow puts down his book and folds his arms, while saying "Holding back? You're crazy man... There's no way I can hold back with Rean, with all his fancy moves..."

Kevin shakes his head, and says "Nope. I'm a bit of an expert at looking a lot less tough then I really am, so I've gotten pretty good at noticing when others play the act too. And you definitely were..."

After all of that, Crow gets up and stands level with Kevin, as he says "Why don't you just say what you're meaning to say, Kev?"

Kevin sighs, and says "If you say so... As my final question, your real identity is Comrade C, isn't it, Crow?"

 _Following this, someone else arrives in Trista, wanting some of her own questions answered..._

* * *

 **Around the same time, Trista Main Entrance, Trista**

 _Captain Claire arrives in Trista, and heads to the Class VII dorm, in search of Sara, hoping to ask her about the odd 'Direwolf' character she ran into before..._

Claire finds Sara relaxing on the couch, drinking some coffee while enjoying her breakfast. And once Sara sees her, she smiles and waves, while saying "Didn't expect to see you here, Icy Maiden... To what do I owe the pleasure today?"

Hearing this, Claire sighs and says "I'm not here for any trouble, or any official business for that matter. I just hoped that you could help with identifying with an odd guy I ran into the other day..."

 _After this, Claire explains her encounter with 'The Direwolf', as well as his general appearance..._

Upon hearing all of that, Sara puts down her cup, and says "From the intel I've received from the Guild, I think you ran into one of the Society's Enforcers..."

Claire immediately sits down, a bit shocked by this information, as she says "Society... do you mean _that_ society?"

Sara nods, and says "The very same. Personally, I've never ran into that particular member, so I'm not sure that I could give you much. From what I've heard, he's a martial arts master and insanely powerful."

Upon learning that, Claire stamps her foot, and says "I've got reason to believe that this guy might be working with the noble faction. Are you sure there's nothing else on him?"

Sara rubs her chin, until saying "Actually, you might have lucked out. There's another Bracer here visiting, and he's actually dealt with that guy in person. Want me to introduce you?"

Claire quickly nods, and says "Of course! I won't be able to come up a counter measure without learning more about him..."

 _Following that, Sara escorts her outside, in search of the Bracer in question..._

* * *

 **Back with Kevin and Crow...**

 _Returning to their conversation, the atmosphere suddenly grew much more serious, as Kevin's accusatory question hung in the air..._

For around a minute, there was silence, before Crow suddenly reaches for one of her orbal pistols, but as he was doing this, Kevin emotionlessly said "I wouldn't try that..." Crow then notices that Kevin had his crossbow aimed right at his leg, forcing him to stop in his tracks, as he just looks on suspiciously.

Eventually, Crow says "Okay, so you figured me out. What's your angle then?"

Kevin replies, saying "I know it might not look like it, but I wanna help you out. I can tell that you've got a lot to hate about the current situation in Erebonia, but there are other options for you."

Crow shakes his head, and says "Other options? Yeah right... I can either help out the nobles or Osborne. I know the nobles are awful too, but there's no way I'd consider helping that bastard, especially since he took over Jurai City and ruined everything!"

Kevin smiles, and says "So that's where you're from? I can understand your motivations, at least. And those are the two more visible factions, but there's another. How much do you know about Prince Olivert?"

Hearing this, Crow grumbles and says "Prince Olivert? You mean one of the guys that runs the academy? He's just a typical noble who gallivants all day and flaunts his wealth..."

Kevin shakes his head, and says "That's just how he presents himself. Did you know that he's working in the shadows to take down Osborne?"

Crow loudly gasps, and says "What? Him...?"

Kevin nods, and says "Yep. I think he's busy doing some prep work, but how about I introduce you when he gets back. I'll ask to have you sit out of the field study that's coming up. How about it?"

Crow remains silent for a minute, before sighing and saying "I guess you can. You're gonna make me reveal my ties to the ILF, right?"

Kevin nods again, and says "I think that'd be pretty important, if only so he'll take you seriously. We don't need to tell anybody else. Are there any big operations planned?"

Crow shakes his head, and says "Not for a while at least, but we can save that until we see Olivert, right?"

 _Following that, Kevin agrees to keep his discovery to himself, until Olivert returns, so he could convince Crow further to side with the prince, instead of his current path..._

* * *

 **Same time, Thors East Courtyard, Trista**

 _Sara leads Claire, until they find Agate, who was currently relaxing before he went to start working on some Bracer jobs for the day..._

Sara approaches, and says "Hey there Agate! Would you mind doing a favor for me?"

Agate looks up, and says "Depends on what the favor is, I guess. What's up?"

Sara explains, saying "The stern lady with me is Claire, a captain in the military, and she ran into somebody pretty dangerous..."

Claire continues, saying "While on patrol, I had a short clash with someone who called himself 'The Direwolf', and I was informed that he's a member of Ouroboros and that you might have dealt with him in the past. Could you assist me?"

Hearing this, Agate slams his fist into the bench, and says "That bastard's here in Erebonia...? That's not good..."

Claire responds, saying "So you have experience with him?"

Agate answers, saying "Yeah you could say that. The guy's name is Walter and he's a master of the Taito fighting style. He's insanely tough. How'd you run into him?"

Claire explains further, saying "Well, as I said, I was on patrol. I heard a report that a military squad was attacked by some Jaegers, so I went to check it out. I eventually find them, but he seemed to be the one leading the group. And even when I cornered the Jaegers, he just took out my agents without even breaking a sweat..."

Agate nods, saying "Yeah, that sounds like him. I'm more than a bit concerned that he's here in Erebonia though. You should be careful, if he's working with Jaegers here. He was probably training them."

Claire nods back, and says "I'll keep what you said in mind. Thank you. Sorry but, I don't think I caught your name."

Hearing this, Agate scratches the back of his head, and says "Oh, sorry about that. The name's Agate. I'm a bracer from Liberl, but I've been doing work here recently."

Claire then smiles, and says "Well, I do appreciate the information. Good luck with your work, Agate. And it was a pleasure meeting with you."

Agate nods, and says "Likewise. Catch ya later..."

 _Claire then says her goodbyes to Agate and Sara, before leaving to return to her post, hoping to figure out some way to deal with Walter the Direwolf, if she ever had a run in with him again..._

* * *

 **Mid-morning, The Sky, Border of Erebonia & Calvard**

 _In the airship Courageous, Olivert's group was returning from meeting with an old comrade from Calvard, where the decided for that person to go to Erebonia on their own..._

As they were flying through the air, Richard says "So just so we're all clear, I will start as a new instructor at Thors, which will act as my official reason for being in the area, correct?"

Olivert nods, and says "That is correct! I do feel like you'd have a lot of wisdom to impact on the students, with your vast experience in intelligence gathering and espionage. And you might be able to help one of the members of Class VII, as he is a student of the Eight Leaves style."

Hearing this, Richard smiles and says "I think acting as an instructor will do me some good. I should do what I can to see the next generation in action. And meeting another practitioner of the Eight Leaves sounds interesting indeed..."

 _Following that, Olivert's group soars through the air, hoping to return to Trista by this evening..._

* * *

 **End Chapter 6**

* * *

 **Notes**

1) It's been a little while with this story! I've had the general idea for this chapter in my head for a little while now, but I haven't been able to figure out how to actually fully write it until around now.

2) I hope the whole sequence of Kevin figuring out Crow's secret identity made sense. I figured a guy like him would catch on quick, especially since some characters seemed to have their suspicions around when it was revealed in Cold Steel I.

3) If you liked the chapter, feel free to let me know, or drop a favorite if you feel inclined. And if you've got any thoughts or opinions on the chapter, feel free to leave a review/comment.

Take care!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

 _Following that minor confrontation, Crow goes back to his book while Kevin relaxes near him..._

While they were both relaxing, Crow says "I get that I was at a disadvantage, but aren't you being a bit too casual about all this? I mean, I am the leader of a national terrorist group."

Kevin nods, and says "That's true..."

Crow then continues, saying with a smirk "I'm kinda stuck, but if I just take ya out, I'd be free to do what I want, right Kev...?"

Hearing this, Kevin laughs to himself, surprising Crow, before saying "Well, you sure can try; but I can't say whether that'd work or not. Because ya see, I'm not just some mid-tier grail knight on a secret mission. I'm a Dominion, the 5th in fact, so I guess you could try your luck..."

After that, Crow sighs and says "Dang, you're the real deal huh? Since I don't got a choice, I'll be on my best behavior. Would you mind making a solid excuse to Instructor Sara? She'd kill me otherwise..." He laughs to himself after saying this, making Kevin relieved that even though Crow was trying to run a dangerous organization, he was still his laidback self deep down.

 _And once that conversation ended, Kevin left Crow alone, ready to move on with his day..._

* * *

 **A few hours later, Town Center, Legram**

 _In this southern area of Erebonia, Estelle, Joshua, and Renne were meeting with their local contact, now that they were in the country..._

Now that the group was in Erebonia proper, they head to Legram's Bracer guildhall, hoping to meet up with their contact. And when they head in, they see the blonde slightly spikey haired Bracer Toval Randonneur, who casually waves and says "Nice to see you guys again! Congrats on making it into the country..."

Seeing that their old friend was here, Estelle grins and says "Toval! We missed ya!"

Joshua smiles, and says "I should have guessed that you'd be our contact, Toval..."

Renne smirks, and says "It's not a difficult thing to figure out, since you Bracers are practically wiped from Erebonia..."

Hearing this, Toval sighs and says "Do you always need to be so brutally honest, Renne? But I can't deny it..."

Estelle responds by glaring at Renne, while saying "Don't be so harsh, Renne... Things got really tough here for Bracers..."

Toval nods, and says "Yeah. The stuff with Jester Corp sure didn't help, but it was Chancellor Osborne in the end that really made things tough for us..."

Hearing this, Joshua says "Really? I wouldn't have thought that..."

Renne nods, and says "Yeah. Though I'm sure Campanella expected something like this to happen, after drawing out Cassius Bright..."

Estelle than gasps, and says "Hold on a sec, Renne! Do you think that they planned for the Erebonian government to react how they did?"

Renne nods again, and says "Yep. Keep in mind that the society and Osborne would regularly use each other..."

Then Toval interjects, and says "I firmly believe that all this started when the society did their operation to lure out Cassius though. It gave Chancellor Osborne just the excuse he needed to crack down on us. Since we prioritize the safety of the common citizenry over individual governments, he probably saw us as a threat."

But then Joshua clears his throat, and says "That's all true, but could you fill us in on the situation here? We received a secret letter from Olivert, but we're in the dark besides that."

 _Following that, Toval starts to explain why Prince Olivert needed them, while the Liberl bracers listened on..._

* * *

 **Around the same time, Thors Library, Trista**

 _Presently, Emma Millstein, a member of Class VII, was studying in the library, while Ries suddenly enters the building..._

Once Ries enters, she sees Instructor Thomas doing some light reading, so she goes up to him and says "Hello instructor! Reading anything interesting?"

Thomas smiles and nods, before saying "Of course, Ries! It's an old piece detailing how Erebonians in Emperor Dreichels' time interacted with the Septian Church. Quite fascinating..." After that, he reaches for another book, and says "You might find this one interesting! It is a study of how The Church is seen in modern Erebonia..."

Following this, Ries respectfully nods and says "I'll take a look at it. Thank you for the suggestion..." She then walks off, and finds a nice quiet place to sit, near another student.

When she sits down, the student puts down her book, and says "Oh, are you doing some reading as well? That book looks interesting..."

Ries smiles, but then sighs and says "Well honestly, I didn't want to disappoint Thomas. As a member of the Church, I felt like it was the right thing to do..."

Hearing this, the student frowns and says "Oh, well I hope you enjoy it regardless. I'm Emma by the way! It's nice to meet you. Are you helping out at the Trista chapel?"

Ries smiles and then says "My name is Ries. It's a pleasure, Emma. And yes, I've been assigned there for the time being. This is my first time in Erebonia, and Trista is quite nice."

Emma nods, and says "I'm glad you've had a nice experience so far. I'm happy my field studies have allowed me to see different aspects of my home country."

But then Ries stands up, and says "I'm sorry, but I need to get going actually. I need to do a few things at the chapel. It was nice meeting you, Emma..."

 _Emma nods, and gets back to her book, as Ries left the building..._

* * *

 **Around the same time, Class VII Dorm, Trista**

 _Kevin was currently having some lunch, while Sharon worked in the kitchen, right as Agate entered the building..._

Agate sits down next to Kevin, and says "Things are getting pretty crazy in Erebonia, Kevin. Want me to give you the run down?"

Kevin takes a bite out of his sandwich, and says "Lay it on me, Agate!"

But before Agate began, Sharon leans over, and says "Would you like some tea, Master Agate? Of maybe a sandwich?"

Hearing this, Agate says "I can't believe these kids have a maid... I'd normally make something for myself, but if you're offering..."

Upon that response, Sharon smiles and nods, before bringing over a cup of tea and a fresh sandwich, while saying "Enjoy..."

Agate nods, and says "Thanks Sharon." Then he turns to Kevin, and says "Okay, things are getting pretty crazy. Some military lady went up to me and told me that a dangerous guy was leading a bunch of jeagers down in Celdic."

Hearing this, Kevin raises an eyebrow, and says "How dangerous are we talking?"

Agate responds, saying "According to her, it was Walter from the Society..."

Kevin quickly covers his mouth, before saying "Him...? That ain't good..." But then he turns to Sharon, and says "You know anything about this?"

Before Sharon responds, Agate asks "Wait, why are you asking her?"

Kevin answers, saying "Oh yeah, you probably didn't hear. Sharon here is also an enforcer in the society. She goes by the Severing Chains..."

Upon hearing this, Agate grips the hilt of his blade, as he says "You're telling me that she's a member of Ouroboros?"

Noticing his apprehension, Sharon bows and says "I can assure you, Master Agate, that I am of no threat to you. I may be a member, but I consider myself 'on leave' from the society.

Hearing this, Agate loosens his grip, and says "Well, if you're not planning on anything, I guess I shouldn't worry." Then he pauses for a moment, and adds, saying "So, what do you know about Walter? If you can say anything..."

Sharon taps her chin, and eventually saying "I shouldn't say much, although he is incredibly skilled. But I'm sure you already know that..."

Agate nods, and says "Well, I figured I'd try." Then he turns to Kevin, and says "So, that's what I know. Guess things really are getting crazy..."

Kevin nods back, and says "You've got that right..." Then, Kevin scratches his chin, and says "Speaking of that, I had a weird experience too..."

Hearing this, Agate says "Really? What happened?"

Kevin then explains, saying "Well, I was relaxing in the town center on a bench, when this cute brown haired girl sat down next to me. She might've been a few years older than me at most. The weird part was that the Recluse Cube reacted when she sat next to me, and I got a strikingly similar vibe to how Weismann seemed like."

Agate remains silent as his eyes widen, while Sharon gasps and says "Kevin, what that how she looked...?"

Kevin answers, saying "Yeah, just about. You know who she is...?"

Sharon nods, but says "I'm not sure if I should tell you or not..." She starts to grumble to herself, and then says "Oh well! That must have been Vita Clotilde, The Azure Abyss. She's one of the Anguis of the society..."

Upon that revelation, Kevin sighs and says "So somebody that dangerous is just hanging around Trista... When she approached, it felt like she was challenging me. I appreciate the info, Sharon."

Sharon respectfully nods, and says "Of course. As a humble request, please keep my involvement a secret. I'm sure the other members wouldn't appreciate my loose tongue."

Kevin nods back, and says "You got it. I'm good at keepin' secrets!"

Agate nods as well, and says "If you're willing to give that kinda info out, then I'm willing to do you the favor. I ain't saying a word about you."

 _Following that, Agate and Kevin continue to chat while they enjoy their sandwiches, as Sharon joins them after finishing her cleaning duties..._

* * *

 **Around the same time, Principal's Office, Trista**

 _Presently, Principal Vandyke was meeting with Instructors Sara and Neithardt, to discuss a few new additions to the Thors faculty..._

Both instructors were seated in front of Principal Vandyke's desk, as he says "Let me cut right to the chase. There will be two new instructors here in Thors. The first will be our guest, Kevin Graham, who will teach a new religious studies course for the students. This should alleviate some pressure from Thomas, who undoubtedly needs to cover as much as he can during the students' two year stays."

Hearing this, Neithardt says "From what I've seen of him, he doesn't seem to carry himself the way an instructor should. I'd worry, since we already have to worry about Instructor Sara..."

Sara pouts, and says "Hey! I can be serious when I wanna!" Neithardt just shakes his head, as Sara then smiles and says "And Kevin's a high ranking Gralsritter, remember? I think he'd do a great job..."

Then Neithardt folds his arms, and says "That's related to another point I had. Are we only bringing on Father Graham because of how he needs to work with Rean Schwarzer? Are you certain that we should be motivated just by that?"

Principal Vandyke nods, and then says "I understand your concerns, Neithardt, but Kevin Graham has an abundance of experience that would be valuable to the students. I say that we should strive to find the most varied and experienced individuals for instructors at Thors. Don't you agree?"

Hearing this, Neithardt scratches his chin, and says "That does make sense. I appreciate you listening to my concerns, sir."

Sara nods, but then says "So who's the other new addition?"

Principal Vandyke scratches at his beard, and then says "I believe we can wait until he arrives tonight, but he is highly experienced in espionage and intelligence gathering, so he'll be teaching a course in those areas."

 _Hearing this, Neithardt and Sara continue to debrief with Principal Vandyke..._

* * *

 **About an hour later, Town Center, Trista**

 _Around this time, Rean was working on a task for the student council, while Alisa Reinford and Machias Regnitz were nearby..._

The two of them see Rean looking fairly worried, so they walk over, with the intention of helping him out. Once they get closer, Alisa says "Hey Rean; what's up?"

Machias nods, and says "Yeah, do you need a hand?"

Rean sighs, and says "I'd definitely appreciate it. Another student is missing their orbal camera, and somebody left this weird message about it. It's almost like a riddle..."

Once they both look over the written message, the three of them start walking around town, trying their best to figure out the strange task they had ahead of them. And as they looked around, a man in a fancy suite with long blue hair watched from a nearby alleyway. As he watched, he quietly laughs to himself, and says "That Rean is a curious one. I wonder how long it will take for them to solve my challenge...?"

But at the same time, Ries was sitting at Kirsche's Café eating a hearty early dinner while suspiciously eying that blue haired man. And once their eyes met, Ries glares while the man smirks and casually approaches. When he reaches the café, he sits down across from Ries, and says "I must say, you look just as fiery as I remember, young Gralsritter squire..."

Ries continues to glare, as she says "So you remember what happened in Phantasma, Phantom Thief?"

The man shakes his head, and says "Sadly, I only can remember segments of that, which already isn't much given my limited role in that affair... But I do remember Kevin Graham's resolute squire."

Ries quickly grabs the hilt of her templar sword, as she says "Are you looking for a fight, Bleublanc?"

Bleublanc merely laughs softly, as he says "I am not here for trouble, my dear... I simply wish to test that interesting Rean, and see how he reacts to my ploys. When he solves my little riddle, I will depart without any disturbance. You have my word, as an honorable and artful thief..."

Following that, he skillfully creates a puff of smoke, masking his trail as he seems to disappear from sight. As that happens, Ries sighs and says "If someone like him is in Trista, I should inform Kevin..."

 _After that surprising event, Ries finishes her meal, not wanting her perfectly good food to go to waste..._

* * *

END CHAPTER 7

* * *

 **Notes:**

Hope you all liked the chapter! There aren't any reviews to respond to this time, but feel free to leave on if you feel the desire to share your thoughts.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

 **Later that evening, Skies above Thors, Trista**

 _After a long flight, Olivert and company finally reach Thors, and Victor makes a smooth landing in the sports field. And once they were ready, the group leaves the Courageous and makes their way to Kirsche's Inn..._

As the group of them walks, Richard takes a deep breath and says "The fresh air is a nice change of pace. I've never been to Erebonia personally, for obvious reasons, so this is a nice start..."

Olivert smiles and says "Thors is a wonderful campus. I studied there when I was younger, and it was an experience that I shall not soon forget."

Following that, Mueller asks "What's our next destination? It'd probably be too late to do anything productive."

Olivert smiles again, and says "You are most right, my dear Mueller... I believe it'd be best to stay at the inn tonight, and do what we need to tomorrow." He then pauses for a moment, and the smirks while saying "I would be open to sharing a room, Mueller..."

Mueller's right eye twitches, as he says "Please do not say these things, your highness... I do not wish to commit treason tonight..."

Victor merely laughs, and says "I see you're trying to lighten the mood, Olivert?"

He nods, and says "Yes; I fear that the next few days will be quite serious and heavy, so I'd think we'd need some levity."

* * *

 _But as they continue to walk from the campus to the town square, they bump into Rean, Machias, and Alisa, who were still trying to figure out that mysterious stolen item..._

When Olivert sees them, he waves, and says "You seem to be out late... Out on an assignment?"

Rean stops, as his eyes widen slightly, before saying "Oh, your highness! And Major Mueller! And even Sir Victor?" Then Rean's eyes pass over the blonde haired stranger dressed in what looked like casual business attire, where he instantly notices the slightly but finely curved blade at his hip. But Rean quickly continues, saying "And yes! We're trying to figure out a riddle that some weird thief must've left..."

Alisa sighs, and adds, saying "We've been looking all over, but every time we figure out one of the riddles, we just find a new one to solve..."

Hearing this, Olivert taps his chin for a moment, before saying "Rean, might you allow me to see the riddle for a moment?"

Rean nods, and says "Sure; but we don't want to burden you with it..."

Machias nods as well, and says "That's right! This is our task, and we'd never lazily pass it off to you."

Olivert just smiles, and says "That is admirable! I just want to have a glance at it. I promise I won't butt in!"

Hearing this, Alisa begins to grow nervous, as she stammers while saying "We weren't trying to tell you what to do, Prince Olivert! We're just trying to be responsible..."

Olivert chuckles, as he reads the note, until his face grows dire for a split second before returning to his previous jovial expression. And once he finished reading, he returns the note to Rean and says "That is a tricky riddle... I wish you good luck with solving this!"

 _After that, Rean and the others say their goodbyes, as they begin to walk away, to continue working at those riddles..._

* * *

Once they were gone, Victor says "What was that about, Olivert?"

Olivert scratches his chin, and says "It was just that hearing about what they were doing reminded me of a few instances back when I traveled with Estelle, who is a Bracer who I've befriended..."

Richard then says "With Estelle... So during the Liberl Crisis with the society?"

Olivert nods, and says "Exactly. The style of this reminded me of a few times where we needed to find the odd missing item, which would consistently be hidden behind a set of riddles. And a specific person was behind all of them; and I'm willing to bet that the same person is behind it here..."

Olivert waits a few seconds, enjoying the moment of tension, until he sees Mueller give him a death glare for purposefully extending this. Then he sighs, and says "The thief who we ran into back then, and who I believe is guilty here as well, was Phantom Thief B..."

Hearing this, Richard quietly gasps and says "Wait, you mean the enforcer Bleublanc?"

Mueller's eyes widen as Victor stares on seriously, while Olivert nods, and says "We don't have clear proof, since he only reveals his calling card at the final riddle, but it's too similar to ignore."

Victor then furrows his brow, and says "From what I understand, he targeted your group back then as a way to test you, correct?" Olivert nods, so Victor continues, saying "Wouldn't that mean that the society has some kind of interest in Class VII? I think you've made a wise choice taking action now, Olivert."

Olivert nods, and says "That's why I've been making all these arrangements. Something major will happen soon, and I'm positive that Ouroboros will have a hand in it..." But then he smiles, and says "For now, we should head to the inn! We'll have a long day tomorrow..."

 _The rest of them nod, as Olivert leads them to the inn, where they spend the night, until morning comes..._

* * *

 **Early Morning, Train Station, Trista**

 _All of Class VII, along with Sara, was at the train station, as they prepared to go on another of their field studies..._

As they waited for the train, Machias grumbles, and says "How could you fall behind so much that you're missing the field study, Crow? You need to put in the work, if you're gonna graduate sometime soon!"

Crow leans back, and says "It'll work out... I feel bad you'll all miss out on my skills and good looks..."

Rean emotionlessly looks at Crow, and says "Somehow, I think we'll manage just fine..."

Hearing this, Crow steps back, and says "Harsh! And here I thought we were best buds..."

Sara then laughs, and says "Don't worry about him! I'll make sure he's workin' hard all weekend!"

 _Following that, Class VII load up on the train, as they depart for their field study, leaving Crow and Sara at the station..._

* * *

Once they were gone, Sara roughly elbows Crow, and says "Why are you being held up anyway? Kevin wouldn't give me details; only saying that it was important... What the hell trouble did you cause this time, Crow?"

Crow just sighs, and says "I'll tell you when I can... But thanks for going along with it..."

Sara smirks, and says "You're my student, so of course I've got your back! But I really hope it isn't anything serious..."

 _After that, Sara and Crow approached Principal Vandyke's office, as he requested both of them as soon as the rest of Class VII departed for their field study..._

* * *

When they reach Vandyke's office, Sara was surprised to see the collection of people already present. Agate was there, as well as Kevin and Ries, along with Neithardt. Those four didn't exactly surprise her, but for some reason Prince Olivert and Major Mueller were also present, along with Victor S. Arseid. But then she also notices Claire, surprising her, as she says "I thought you returned to Celdic..."

Claire shakes her head, and says "While I was leaving, Principal Vandyke asked me to stay today, and I can't exactly say no to one of his requests..."

But then Vandyke clears his throat, and says "I'm sure many of you would like to know what is going on, so I'll allow Olivert to start things off..."

Olivert smiles, and walks to the center of the room, while saying "I'm glad you all are here. The contents of the meeting are of grave importance country, or maybe even the entire continent. But before I start all of that, I believe introductions are in order. I'll go around the room..."

He starts with Agate, saying "This is Agate Crosner. He is a highly experienced Bracer from Liberl, and a close friend of mine." Agate nods, and says "Hey! Nice to meet ya guys..."

Then, Olivert introduces Sara, saying "Sara Valestein is a former Bracer and currently an instructor at Thors. He is also highly experienced, and probably one of the fastest fighters I've had the pleasure of meeting." Sara smiles, and says "I appreciate the praise! I'd love to know what this is all about though..."

Olivert continues, introducing Kevin and Ries, saying "This here is Kevin Graham, a member of the Gralsritter Order, and one of their Dominion, which are their highest ranking members. And Ries Argent is his squire, and highly competent in the use of the templar sword." Kevin grins, and says "Talk about an introduction!" Ries bows, and says "Pleased to meet all of you..."

After that, Olivert introduces Claire, saying "This is Captain Claire, who is one of the major members of Erebonia's Railway Military Police. I thought having someone trustworthy from the government would be necessary." Claire salutes, and says "Hello everyone..."

Then, Olivert introduces Neithardt and Mueller, saying "These are Majors Neithardt and Mueller. Neithardt acts an instructor here in addition to serving in the military; and Mueller is my most trusted bodyguard." Both soldiers quietly nod, as they listen on.

After that, Olivert introduces Victor, saying "This man right here is Victor S. Arseid, also known as the Radiant Blademaster. I don't believe I need to say anything else about him..." As quiet gasps filled the room, Victor grins and says "Don't let that intimidate any of you! I happen to be a real friendly guy!"

After that, Olivert finally introduces Richard, saying "And this is Alan Richard. Once upon a time, he was the head of Liberl's Intelligence Division, and was taught swordsmanship from The Divine Blade, back when he was still in the military." Hearing that, a few more quiet murmurs formed, as Richard says "I'm mainly here to pay back a debt I owe to Prince Olivert, but my ties to Liberl will not affect my ability work with you all..."

Crow remains silent, as he makes note of all the impressive and powerful individuals that surrounded him. He wasn't one to get nervous about things very often, but since he would need to admit his position in the ILF here, he was at least somewhat worried about what would happen. But he could only hope that Olivert would be reasonable and that Kevin would have his back.

 _But soon, the bulk of the meeting would start, which would detail many of Prince Olivert's current worries..._

* * *

 **Same Time, Train out of Trista, Erebonian Countryside**

 _Group A of Class VII was starting their train ride, as they began to chat about where they would go for their field studies..._

As they were seated, Rean smiles, and says "So, headed off to Legram... You must be excited, Laura."

Laura nods, and says "Quite so. I'm looking forward to showing you around when we get there..."

Jusis nods as well, and says "I've never been near Legram, but I hear that it's a beautiful place."

Emma then smiles, and says "I think it'll be wonderful, although I'm sure the field study will be difficult..."

Gaius folds his arms, and then says "The field studies are usually challenging, but that's how we improve. But I would also enjoy seeing your home town, Laura."

But then Milliam loudly yawns, while saying "I'm gonna nap during the whole train ride, so I'm super ready to see your town Laura!"

 _The rest of them laugh, as they all continue to chat, as the train steadily approaches Legram..._

* * *

 **End Chapter 8**

 **Notes:**

Hope you all like this chapter!

This chapter is a bit of set up, but the next chapter will probably cover most of the meeting that Olivert was running.

Class VII is currently doing their Chapter 5 field studies, and I probably won't show off much of that. I might show off things that might be changed, but the bulk of their experience won't change. I definitely don't want them to miss out on their experiences, since there are more powerful characters hanging around that could trivialize things, if I allowed that to happen.

This is a good time to say that you can assume that anything that I don't address probably just happens like it did in Cold Steel. Unless I forgot (which is possible!)

Take care!

 **Review Responses:**

 _magna ryunoid_ : You make some good points, but I still don't think I'm going to touch much on stuff from Cold Steel III. A lot of it is because I know only bits and pieces, and also because it's new and not even localized yet. So there wouldn't be much for me to build on. Even though it's real cool that Gaius is now officially a Gralsritter, I won't be addressing it in my story.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

* * *

 **Same Time, Principal Vandyke's Office, Trista**

By now, the bulk of Prince Olivert's meeting was finally starting...

* * *

Prince Olivert again leads the discussion, saying "Allow me to share the purpose of this meeting. I believe that a dangerous society is acting in the shadows here in Erebonia, and will soon make a move somewhere in Trista. That society is Ouroboros, and I believe that many of you have had experiences with them..."

Captain Claire goes first, nodding while saying "Personally, I had a run in with one of their apparent enforcers, when he attacked a squad of soldiers in Celdic, leading a small group of jeagers. After some investigating, I was informed that his name is Walter, and is known as the Dire Wolf."

Ries nods in response, and says "I've actually had an encounter with a different enforcer, Bleublanc the Phantom Thief, last night here in Trista. He had one of the students dealing with one of his riddles, but he claimed that he wasn't going to cause any additional trouble."

Hearing this, Olivert scratches his chin, and says "Two enforcers... From my research, Bleublanc has a base of operations somewhere here in Erebonia, so that isn't as surprising. But Walter; that is one that has me worried..."

After that, Kevin clears his throat, and says "Sorry, but I've gotta bit of a bombshell as well... Ya see, a few nights ago I was sitting out in the town center, and this beautiful lady approached me. At first, I thought I was gonna have a nice night, but I soon realized that she was part of the society as well. And to make it worse, I am fairly certain that she is one of their Anguis, which are like the leaders of their society."

The room grew silent, as everyone processed that one, until Richard says "Anguis... That was the same rank that Weissmann the Faceless held, correct?" Hearing that name caused a few gasps and angered expressions, from certain members of the meeting.

Kevin nods, and says "I believe. And thanks to a helpful contact of mine, who I shall not name, I've learned that her name is Vita Clotilde."

Olivert gasps upon hearing this, as he asks "You're sure about her name, Kevin...?" He nods, so Olivert continues, saying "Well, Vita Clotilde is a well known opera singer here in Erebonia, and people call here the Azure Diva. But I would have never guessed that she was that high up in the society's ranking."

But after all of that, Neithardt speaks up, saying "I am sorry to change the subject, but I must inquire on why Mr. Armbrust is here, especially since he should be on his way to his field study by now..." He begins to glare at the student, as Crow nervously rubs the back of his neck, as Neithardt then turns to Sara, and says "Do you have an explanation, Instructor Valestein...?"

Sara begins to wave her arms frantically, and then says "This had nothing to do with me! Honest!"

After that, Kevin says "Sorry, but I asked her to do me a favor, because I thought Crow would be a useful member of this whole discussion..."

Olivert then raises an eyebrow, and says "And why is that, Kevin? He is just a student, and I would rather them not need to worry about these kinds of things..."

Kevin answers, saying "Well, Crow here actually leads a bit of a double life, and the two of us came to a decision, so he's gonna come clean..."

Following this, Crow takes a deep breath, and says "Alright, while I've been a student here, I've also been the leader of the Imperial Liberation Front; Comrade C..."

As Crow revealed this to the present company, almost everyone remained silent, as if each of them couldn't believe what they were hearing. However, before Crow could explain why he chose to reveal this, Claire reacts first, as she draws her orbal pistol.

While she does this, she says "If you are truly the leader of the ILF, then as a member of the Railway Military Police, I will detain you here and now! Your organization is a threat to the peace of Erebonia, so if you truly wish for the country's wellbeing, you will give up without a fight."

In response to this, Crow says "You think I'd want to bow down to a servant of that damned Osborne?! That bastard forcibly annexed my homeland, and caused the deaths of countless numbers of innocents, including my grandfather!"

Claire keeps her weapon drawn, and says "Your motivations are not relevant. And I will not allow you to slander the Chancellor's good name!"

Hearing this, Crow reaches for one of his own orbal pistols, fearing for his own life, causing Claire to fire at him in response. But before the shot landed, a bright and shining shield protected him, as Kevin moved between the two of them.

Seeing this, Claire turns her attention to the priest, as she says "You can stay out of this, grail knight! This is an Erebonian matter."

Kevin shakes his head, and says "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree. Ya see, I can see myself in Crow a bit. He's angry at the world, and just wants to bring justice to the person who effectively killed someone extremely close to him, but it isn't like many people would actively oppose a guy like Osborne."

He then draws his weapon, aiming at Claire, as he glares at her while saying "But I think he can make a change in himself, and find a better path, so I'm not letting you strip him of that chance..."

After that, a sudden surge of energy flows from Kevin, as he begins to activate his Stigma, while he emotionlessly says "If you want an opponent; allow Kevin Graham, he who holds the seat of the Fifth Dominion, Heretic Hunter, to do so..."

Claire takes a step back, briefly overwhelmed by this sheer presence of him, but then resolves to fight regardless of her opponent.

However, before either of them could begin fighting, someone shouts "Luminous Wheel!", which causes a circular wave of blade-like energy to separate the two combatants. As that happens, Richard walks between the two of them, and shouts, saying "That's quite enough! Even as an outsider to this nation, the situation is obviously dire, so cease with this meaningless fighting."

Claire shakes her head, and says "I disagree entirely. This man is a threat to the entire nation, so he should be dealt with before addressing the situation at large."

Hearing this; Richard replies, saying "Because he opposes the chancellor, correct? That is why he is a threat to you?"

Claire retorts, saying "In a broad sense, possibly. But you cannot deny the threat their entire organization causes to all of Erebonia."

But after hearing this; Crow yells, saying "That's a load of crap! We make sure that innocents aren't harmed. Our only desire is to take down Osborne, and those that support his expansionist zeal!"

Surprisingly, Neithardt speaks up, and says "Really? Then, how do you explain the Garrelia Incident, Armbrust?" His voice rang out more in the tone of a concerned teacher than a military officer.

Crow merely looks down shamefully, and says "Things went out of hand there, and I barely had any sway on the general operations on that one, due to some mysterious 'benefactor' we got..." By this point, both Claire and Kevin had both lowered their weapons, although Kevin still remained close to Crow, just in case.

But after saying this; Sara chimes in, and says "Wait, 'benefactor'? I thought the evidence all pointed to the noble faction funding your group?"

Crow nods, and says "It's true that our monetary funding and most of our armaments came from the heads of the noble faction. But all of our advanced Archaisms, and my armor and my double sabre, came from some anonymous group."

After revealing this, Olivert says "I know of only one group that can recreate Archaisms, and that is Ouroboros. And something else that I feel that needs to be addressed, related to this topic, is Chancellor Osborne's ties to Ouroboros."

Hearing this, Claire looks at Olivert, and says "Your highness! How could you say something like that against our chancellor? How dare you!"

Olivert merely smirks, and says "But it is true, Captain..." He then turns to face the whole group, and says "I am sure you all remember the orbal shutdown crisis that occurred 2 years ago? To us Erebonians, it was a frightening time when our southern region lost orbal power, but to our neighbor Liberl, it was an event that threatened their very independence." This was met by nods by the group, with Agate and Kevin feeling particularly distraught, as they remembered what they struggled against during that experience.

Olivert then continues, saying "Though, some of you may not be aware that Erebonia attempted a second invasion, using the 3rd Armored Division, with a company of steam powered tanks..."

Neithardt nods, and says "I recall an order to ready and maintain a large number of steam powered tanks, which I believe was directly ordered by the chancellor. Personally, I thought the exercise was a waste of time and resources, although I had no knowledge that they were deployed..."

Olivert taps his chin, and says "That was because the operation was kept fairly secret, especially after it failed to accomplish its goal of subjugating Liberl while their orbal technology was useless."

Claire just looks at Olivert suspiciously, and says "I fail to see your point, Prince Olivert..."

Olivert smiles, and says "Give me a moment... You see, Neithardt is entirely correct that the act of maintaining that large a force of steam tanks would be foolish. Is it not too convenient that a large force of them were positioned in the southern region, during a period where Liberl's greatest military and political advantage was just ripped away? In my eyes, it is obvious that Osborne willing collaborated with Ouroboros to again an upper hand against a rival nation."

Hearing all of this, Claire's eyes widen, as she quietly says "There's no way... The chancellor is pragmatic and a genius, but he'd never willingly work with group as dangerous as that..."

Olivert walks up to Claire, and puts a hand on her shoulder, and says "I'm well aware of the respect you hold for the chancellor, so I only request that you do not dismiss my findings. If you need to do further research, then do so, but please be careful..."

Claire nods, and then turns to Crow, and says "I will not turn you in, or inform anyone else about your status as the ILF's leader. However, will you agree to cease terroristic activities?"

Crow nods, and leans back while putting his arms behind his head, and says "Sure! I only did this because I didn't think I had any other options. If I can change Erebonia for the better, without the ILF, then sign me up!"

Following this, Kevin sighs, and nearly loses his balance, before Ries goes to support him, while saying "That was too reckless, Kevin... And your official title is the 'Thousand Armed Guardian' now; why did you use your old one?"

Kevin just laughs, before coughing a bit, while saying "I thought it'd make more of an impact... And I've still gotta get used to using my Stigma regularly..."

As Kevin goes to sit down, Olivert continues saying "This was a bit more exciting than I planned, but allow me to share the current plan of operations. Since Thors seems to Ouroboros' target at this time, possibly due to the Old School House, we should be prepared in case they escalate things. To briefly explain on that, there are reports that some kind of artifact might be located deep in the old school house, and Ouroboros mainly target artifacts of that level. I have requested that Alan Richard join Thors as an instructor, since he has extensive experience with the society, and is a skilled fighter as well."

Richard nods, and says "I will work to the best of my ability, while keeping an eye out for suspicious behavior."

Olivert then says "As for myself, I will need to make one more trip, so I will take Mueller and Victor with me." He then turns to Claire, and says "Could you keep an eye out where you are as well? I'll try to contact you if things seem to develop here."

Claire nods, and says "Of course! I could never allow Thors to be threatened by a group like Ouroboros. And I will investigate your claims about the chancellor, but don't think I completely believe you on that front..."

Olivert smiles, and says "All I ask is an open mind..." Then, he turns to Crow, and says "We'll have a separate conversation about the ILF. If Ouroboros truly has a guiding hand in your group, we will need to take steps to dissolve it. It may reach a point where you no longer have a hold on them anymore.

Crow nods, and says "Gotcha! I don't want another Garrelia Incident, so I'll tell ya whatever you need to know."

 _After that, the group slowly separates, as the heavy meeting concluded..._

* * *

 **Around the same time, Bracer Guild, Legram**

 _Over here, Estelle, Joshua, and Renne were planning on meeting with the current steward of the Arseid School, Klaus the butler, right as Toval enters the building..._

When Toval arrives, he rubs his temples, as he says "Alright! I think I've got a nice range of assignments for those Class VII kids!"

Hearing this, Estelle asks, "Class VII? Are some students visiting the town?"

Following that question, Toval explains everything regarding Class VII and their field studies. And when he was finished, Estelle smiles excitedly, as she says "Wow! It sounds like their preparing to be Bracers!"

Joshua nods, and says "It seemed highly similar to how we traveled Liberl after becoming junior Bracers."

Renne taps her chin, and says "That's a smart strategy. You can really get a feel for a nation if you fully explore its towns and locations..."

Toval nods, and says "It was actually a joint effort by Prince Olivert and Sara Valestein, who is a current instructor at Thors."

Hearing this, Joshua scratches his chin, and says "Sara... You mean the Purple Lightning?"

Estelle then loudly gasps, and says "Wait, her? Didn't she become an A-rank bracer at a crazy young age?"

Renne then smiles, and says "I've heard she used to be a part of the Northern Jaegers. I wonder what made her quit..."

Toval nods again, and says "Yep, that's Sara; and now she's teaching a bunch of kids." Then he pauses, and adds, saying "But you guys are already B-rankers, and you've got some impressive feats under your belts..."

Estelle merely laughs, and says "You don't need to fill my ego that much..."

 _Following that minor exchange, Estelle and company leave the building, to officially meet with Klaus, at the Arseid Training Hall..._

* * *

 **End Chapter 9**

 **Notes**

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

I also hope that my little confrontation between Claire and Kevin flowed well. I'm still not confident in my ability to write fight scenes, and even though that wasn't really a 'fight', it still had those elements.

Also, the part in the end was supposed to be a nice lightener, after the long and much more serious meeting that the bulk of the chapter covered.

Take care!

* * *

 **Review Responses**

 **magna ryunoid** : I don't think I'll actually address Gaius as part of the Dominion. This is mainly because it's a Cold Steel III thing, so I don't really want to pull much from it. Also, I barely know much about it, since I can't play the game myself.

 **MrDerpyKid2** : Thanks! I'm glad you like the story.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

* * *

 _Back at Thors, Crow remained in an empty classroom, along with Prince Olivert, Richard, Sara, and Neithardt, prepared to brief them on the ILF's general plan..._

Starting off, Prince Olivert says "I want to stress that I am pleased with your cooperation, Crow. And even though you technically are a criminal, since you're willing to help, I'll do what I can to resolve that."

Crow smiles, and leans back in his chair, while saying "I really appreciate it, princey! I know what we're planin' for our next operation, so I'll give ya the info..."

However, before Crow could continue, Neithardt glares and sternly says "Armbrust! When speaking with his highness, maintain an aura of respect."

Crow just laughs, and says "C'mon Instructor Neithardt... You know that's just not my style."

Neithardt continues to glare, while leaning closer while still sitting, as he says "Your 'style' is not relevant to how you should behave, as a student at Thors. Understand?"

A chill goes down Crow's spine, as he had just awakened Neithardt's teacher/officer side, so he raises his hands in surrender, as he says "Okay... Okay... I'll work on that..."

Luckily, Olivert just smiles, and says "I do not mind being spoken to casually. In fact, I'd rather people be natural around me rather than feeling forced to behave in a way that is uncomfortable for them, just because of my status as a prince." Then he winks, and says "Not all royalty think like I do, so I hope you do not just disregard your instructor's guidance..."

Neithardt sighs, as Crow starts to explain, saying "Well, our next major operation was to help the noble faction take over the Sachsen Iron Mines. Since it's currently managed by the regular army, if a group like the ILF caused enough damage, it'd give the nobles an excuse to claim it for themselves."

Sara taps her lower lip, and says "That would deal a pretty big blow to the Chancellor if you manage to pull it off, I'll give you that."

Richard nods, and says "Since there are rumbles of a civil war in the future, snatching a mine of that size for the nobles would give them a major advantage. You would need to make sure that none of Osborne's pawns could stop your group, at least until reinforcements could arrive. Even if the nobles would want you to succeed, they'd need to keep up appearances at that point. It would be damaging for them if they publically supported a terrorist group."

Crow nods, and says "You're right on the money. The plan is to sneak in some Archaisms, hidden in crates, so they'll cause enough of a distraction until we're ready. We'll have one or two guys on the inside, so all the workers can escape before the Archaisms are activated though."

After that, Sara says "Archaisms... That means that Ouroborus is involved in this plan. Anything else, Crow?"

Crow shakes his head, as he says "Well, near the end of it, we were gonna try and fake the death of Comrade C, AKA me. And if I'm gonna be honest, I was lookin' forward to pulling that stunt off..."

Neithardt scratches his chin, as he says "Faking your death? I'd expect that after a final scheme, not after just taking over Sachsen Mines... Am I correct in thinking that you will fake your death for a future operation, Armbrust?"

Crow smiles, and says "You nailed it!" As he says this, he catches another glare from Neithardt, so Crow quickly add, saying "...Instructor..." He then coughs, and continues, saying "Anyway, the whole faking my death thing was meant to be my grand daddy of all plans. During the national address that Osborne's doin', I was gonna sneak in and take him out. That's how it all would've ended..."

He then leans back, as he just revealed his plans to assassinate the current chancellor of Erebonia, causing the others to remain speechless, until Richard says "That is a well crafted plan. Since the military would believe that the worst of the danger was passed, since the ILF would seemingly be routed, you could take down your enemy when he least expects it."

Olivert shakes his head, and says "But that would not solve any of your problems, Crow; at least not in the way that you want. If a known terrorist assassinates Osborne at that moment, you will forever turn him into a martyr, which would make it incredibly difficult to steer Erebonia in a better direction."

Crow nods, and says "I know this sounds bad, but I just really wanted to take that bastard out. Honestly, I felt like if I at least did that, I could die without regret."

Richard then hums to himself, before saying "It sounds to me like you might not feel the same way right now. I think that's a good start. Why don't we take a short break before continuing?"

 _The others nod, as they all get up to walk around while allowing what was already discussed to sink in..._

* * *

 **Same Time, Arseid School Training Hall, Legram**

 _Estelle, Joshua, and Renne had just entered the building, so they could meet with and speak to Klaus, the Arseid family butler and sword school instructor..._

Now that they were inside the building, they see a collection of target dummies and students wielding a myriad of weapons. Upon seeing this, Estelle says "Wow! So they don't all train with swords...?"

Joshua nods, and says "It seems like they learn with a variety of weapons, possibly to better counter non-sword wielding opponents."

The elderly Klaus then walks over while chuckling, and says "That is correct. By spending time working with weapons aside from swords, the students can adjust to and find weaknesses through sparring." After saying this, he bows, and says "Since I have not gotten to yet, allow me to welcome you to Legram. Any relative of the Divine Blade is welcome here..."

Hearing this, Estelle's eyes widen, as she says "Wait, do you know our dad?"

Klaus sighs and shakes his head, before saying "Regrettably, neither I nor Master Victor have had the pleasure of meeting Master Cassius. I do hope to have the chance at least once, before I grow too old to appreciate the meeting..."

Hearing this, Renne takes a step back, before saying "Wait, are you implying that you would spar with Cassius Bright? At your age...?"

Klaus sighs again, as he says "Children can be so cruel... But as long as I can stand on my two feet, I would never pass up on that chance, as a life-long student of the Arseid School..."

After he says this, Renne taps her chin, and says "Hmm... You remind me of old man Phillip... I bet you're tough for a geezer too..."

Estelle prepares to apologize on Renne's behalf, but Klaus merely laughs, as he says "I can't deny my age, but your candidness is appreciated, young lady... I should stress though, that as the acting instructor here, I can guarantee that I am no feeble old man. Who was this Phillip?"

Joshua explains, saying "Currently, he acts as an attendant to one of Liberl's royals, although he used to be the head of the royal guard, and he is still highly skilled."

Hearing this, Klaus smiles, and says "It sounds like Phillip is someone who would be fun to meet!"

After that, Estelle says "Not that this isn't fun, but you needed to speak with us, right?"

Klaus nods, and says "That is correct. In an hour or two, a group of students from Class VII will arrive here, and I understand Toval already explained the basics of them. Essentially, I would request that you keep Renne's and Joshua's status of being a former Enforcers a secret. I do not wish for those students to have to learn of that society while they are still fresh in their first year of school. And related to that, please allow them to work on their duties on their own, with as little assistance as you can manage."

Renne smirks, and says "Aww... And I was hoping to spook a few of them... But I'll keep a low profile."

Joshua nods, and says "If those students are trying to improve by coming here, then we shouldn't interfere. It wouldn't fair for them."

Estelle grins, and says "Yeah! Those kids will have to just manage on their own! We handled what we were thrown into after all."

Hearing this, Renne snickers, and says "Really...? Joshua was an ex-Enforcer as well, unless you forgot... Plus most of your other friends were more experienced than you were..."

Estelle then pouts, and says "Yeah... But that was only the case for the first adventure! Once we actually started dealing with the society, I did plenty of independent growing!"

Joshua nods, and says "And isn't it accurate that Estelle earned the respect of all of those people, including me?"

Renne then laughs, and says "I just like to push Estelle's buttons. It's surprising that it's still so easy..."

Estelle begins to glare, as she says "Keep this up if you want to get smacked by my bo staff..."

Following that, Klaus smiles and says "You three get along quite well. That is heartwarming to see. There are some things that need to be done around here, which would be too difficult for the students to deal with. Can I request for you all to work on them?"

Estelle energetically nods, before saying "Of course! That's what Bracers do! You guys are letting us hide out here, so we'll consider that your official Guild payment."

 _Following that, the Estelle and company leave the training hall, with a list of tasks in hand, reminded that a Bracer's day is never truly finished..._

* * *

 **Same time, Thors Main Entrance, Trista**

 _Currently, Agate was sitting outside, while thinking about everything that happened during that meeting. And while he was reflecting to himself, he sees Claire walk by, before she stops to sit next to him..._

Now that Claire was seated, Agate smiles and says "That meeting got a bit heated, huh? Never expected some student to run a terrorist group..."

Claire nods, and says "I can't claim that I had even the slightest suspicions of him. The ILF really are a danger to this country. But now I just feel conflicted... Was everything Prince Olivert said about the Liberl Crisis true?"

Agate looks down for a moment, before saying "Yeah. It was pretty terrifying to deal with, besides those Society bastards causing havoc all over the country. And once we thought we actually made a bit of progress at the capital, we find out that Erebonia was fielding a whole group of steam powered tanks to invade..."

Hearing this, Claire looks down sadly, while saying "So it really went that far? Would you believe me if I said I had next to no knowledge of that operation before today...?"

Agate folds his arms, and says "They were prepared to occupy all of our cities if we didn't comply with them, and if Olivert didn't step in, things might have gone in a much different direction. And I don't know how high up you are with your military, so I can't make much of a judgment on how much you'd know anyway."

Hearing this, Claire explains, saying "Well, I am one of the Empire's Ironbloods. Essentially, we are elite agents who directly serve the chancellor. So a person like me should have information like an attempted assault on a foreign rival, but I knew nothing of this... But you said that Prince Olivert stopped it?"

Agate nods, and says "Yep. He stepped in for the military commander, and had a short debate with Princess Klaudia. Really, they were just stalling for time, but it ended with that commander pulling back the army."

After this, Claire's eyes light up, as she says "Commander? You wouldn't happen to remember who was leading the attack? Or what they looked like...?"

Agate starts to ruffle his hair, while thinking, until he says "I can't remember the name, but he had an eye patch and a brown mustache. He looked like a pretty serious guy too."

Claire silently gasps, before saying "That could only be Zechs Vander! He was recently moved to the Nord Highlands, way out in a sort of frontier post, and I always found it odd that a general of his experience and skill was sent there. But if he pulled back, and prevented an invasion into Liberl, it would make much more sense."

Hearing this, Agate asks "Does anyone in particular decide where soldiers and officers are assigned?"

Claire answers, saying "Really, the chancellor would make most of those decisions. And since the timing of Lt General Zech's reassignment matches so clearly for when the Liberl Crisis seemed to occur, I can't just pass it off as a coincidence."

Agate nods, and says "Well, with that figured out, maybe I can give you another avenue to research into..."

Claire nods back, and says "I'm listening..."

Agate then takes a deep breath, before saying "Okay, do you know anything about the Tragedy of Hamel...?"

Claire merely tilts her head, and says "It was unfortunate that the village was destroyed in a landslide, but it was just a natural disaster. Why do you ask?"

Hearing this, Agate sighs, and says "Well, that's completely wrong. I lived in a Liberl village near Hamel, so I knew a bit more, but I recently learned the whole story from a close friend. Just prepare yourself, okay? It isn't an easy one to take in..."

 _Following this, Agate explains everything he learned about the Tragedy of Hamel, from both what he heard from Joshua and from what Georg Weissmann shared back when they had to face him. And as Agate explained, Claire's face remained twisted in shock and horror..._

* * *

 **Same Time, Winding Road, Calvard**

While all of this was happening, Zin Vathek, a large and imposing brown haired martial artist, was currently taking a walk to a nearby town, ready to do some Bracer work.

As he walked, he takes a deep breath, before having a few sips of his handy jug of alcohol. After that, he says "Pretty soon, I'll be taking a trip over to Erebonia. Apparently a whole lot of people will be there. It'll be great to see all my friends again..."

 _After that, Zin continues to walk, ready to spend the day doing jobs, before planning to train late into the evening..._

* * *

 **End Chapter 10**

* * *

 **Notes:**

Hope you all liked the chapter! Let me know what you thought, or what you liked or disliked. I think I'll start working Part 3 of Taki and Mitsuha's Bizarre Adventure next, as I've got some basic stuff written down. Either way, take care!

 **Review Feedback:**

 **JohnJoestar17** :

Thanks for both of your reviews! For the issue with the line breaks for character dialogue, I've actually started doing that later in the story, but I may go back and start breaking those paragraphs where that is needed. And I'm happy about all the aspects that you liked, especially how I wrote Rean and Crow's friendship. I definitely wanted to capture their 'bro' friendship.

And for the Recluse Cube, I don't actually remember the details of what was done with the cube at the end of 3rd. But the reason why Kevin carries it with him is because he thinks it is depowered. And certain events in 3rd were why I wanted to include the Recluse Cube as a relevant part of my story. Of course, I don't want to say how that works, because I'm not sure if you read past Chapter 3.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **Late morning, Thors Classroom, Trista**

* * *

 _Soon, the break ended, so Crow, Olivert, Richard, Sara, and Neithardt return to that classroom, as they continue the meeting..._

The first person to speak was Richard, who says "Now that we have an idea on what the ILF are planning, what should be done next? I'd rather not lead the conversation, as I am not a native Erebonian."

Olivert nods, and says "Well, I believe that the planned operation at the Sachsen Iron Mines is a good starting point. If we do a bit of our own adjusting, we can block the nobles from claiming that mine while still preventing the army to do whatever it wants with it. You can leave that to me!"

Hearing this, Crow scratches his chin and says "That works for me. As long as Osborne can't use it to fund his expansions..."

Olivert nods again, and then says "Other than that, I believe that you should go through with 'killing' your Comrade C character. That way, we can avoid any complications that could arise if any other groups discover your identity. Do you think you'd have the authority to put the assassination operation on hold for the moment?"

Crow looks down, as he says "I feel like they've been making me more of a symbol than an actual leader. But I'll give it the ol' Crow try!"

Hearing this, Sara sighs and says "That doesn't bode well to me, given how much you 'try' in my class..."

Neithardt nods and adds, saying "If you applied even a fraction of the effort you put into your Comrade C persona, then you might be the most successful student here..."

Crow just laughs, as Olivert says "Well, I think we can conclude this for now. We'll keep all of this hidden from the student body, especially Class VII. With how they are, they would surely attempt to help you, and I'd rather not involve them, since they could earn the ire of the government or the nobles. Is that okay, Crow?"

He nods, and says "Yup! Knowing Rean, he'd want to stand right next to me, no matter how it'd look for him. I hope I don't need to fight them though..."

Richard nods, and says "Having to do battle against your friends is never easy, but take heart that you're on a side that aligns with them."

 _Following this, the meeting comes to a close..._

* * *

 **Same time, Thors Main Entrance, Trista**

 _Now that Agate had informed Claire of all that he knew about the Hamel Tragedy, she simply looked down dejectedly while attempting to process what she was told…_

After a few minutes, Claire looks up and says "Do you mean to tell me that the Hundred Days War was caused by the meddling of some madman of Ouroboros?"

Agate silently nods, before saying "I was speechless when I found out too. I'm from Ravennue Village, which is fairly close to Hamel, so I always wondered why we suddenly lost contact. A good friend of mine lived in Hamel, and his live was changed forever."

The silence lasted a few minutes, until Claire says "Wait a moment. Then do you have proof that the chancellor was involved with Hamel?"

Agate shakes his head, and says "I've never heard his name in all the stories I've heard about Hamel. But there's a decent chance that he knows the full story. What do you think about Olivert's theory though? I've never seen the guy, so I can only collaborate on what I witnessed during the Liberl Crisis."

Claire touches her chin, before saying "About his ties to Ouroboros? Honestly, I did think that what his highness said about the attempted invasion of Liberl made sense, but I wasn't completely convinced. But after learning about Hamel, it makes what happened right at the end of the Hundred Days War seem much more suspicious."

Hearing this, Agate asks "What happened?"

Claire begins to explain, saying "Well, right after the cease-fire was declared, the chancellor arrested countless members of the noble faction. The reasoning at the time was for a general misuse of authority during the invasion, but I always assumed that there was a larger reason, and I just wasn't given that information."

After that, Agate says "That doesn't sound good. Do you have a new theory?"

Claire nods, and says "I do. You see, the time between the cease-fire and those arrests was incredibly short, too much for even a man as perceptive as the chancellor to solve. But if Ouroboros were the ones who manipulated things from behind the scene, then it could be likely that the chancellor worked with them to get those answers."

In response to that, Agate nods and says "That does make a lot of sense. You think it's possible to find proof?"

Claire shakes her head, and says "I strongly doubt that the chancellor would leave even the slightest amount of concrete evidence, and I don't think getting answers from Ouroboros would work either. It's not like their information could be trustworthy in the general public's eye."

Agate nods again, and says "Yeah. I wouldn't even know how to present evidence gained from the society, let alone find it..."

But Claire continues, saying "I could excuse the chancellor if he worked with Ouroboros only to right the wrongs with Hamel, but with this information, it makes his highness' claims from before much more believable for me. And at this point, I can't view the relationship between Ouroboros and the chancellor other than one for his own political gain. I can't rationalize any other purpose for collaborating with Ouroboros a second time to attempt another invasion into Liberl."

Upon hearing this, Agate says "This must be tough for you to hear, since you seem to idolize the guy so much."

Claire sighs and nods, before saying "He saw my talent from an early age, and gave me the chance to join the military and apply my skills. And he has one of the sharpest strategic minds that I know of. But I can't just ignore all of this..."

Agate then smiles, and says "That's a pretty respectable. What's your plan now?"

Claire responds, saying "For now, I'll return to my duties in Celdic. But if I hear anything from high highness, I'll rush back here. And maybe once things start to calm down, I'll seriously hear out what Prince Olivert's overall vision is."

Following that, Agate stands up, and starts to brush himself off, before saying "I still can't believe that he's a prince. Did you know how long he pretended to be a womanizing moron back when we traveled together in Liberl? Drove me nuts, even though he was surprisingly good with orbal arts, but it makes sense looking back at it. Although honestly, I'm impressed with the guy..."

Claire smiles, while standing up herself, and says "For most people, Prince Olivert was known as a debaucherous man who spent all his time at high class parties. I would have never known that he was such a perceptive person and worked so hard to push back against the growing tensions between the noble faction and the military. Color me impressed as well."

 _Following that, Agate and Claire share a nod, before she leaves the campus, to take the next train to Celdic. Agate in turn sits back down, and hopes that he got Claire to support Prince Olivert, since it seemed like they'd need all the help they could get against a guy like Osborne..._

* * *

 **One hour later, Trista Chapel, Trista**

 _Currently, Kevin and Thomas were meeting, to discuss the progress with Rean and his Stigma..._

Thomas pours himself a glass of water, while saying "So, have you had any luck, Kevin? I would have never guessed that Rean was the one with the Stigma!"

Kevin softly laughs to himself, and says "Yeah, he was right under your nose... But he's taking it pretty well. We're starting with a few basic lessons, and I think I'll be able to convince him to become a squire of the Gralsritter before too long."

Thomas smiles, and says "That's good. He always seemed to worry about his place in the world, so this might be a nice guiding force for him. Does it seem to be powerful?"

Kevin nods, before pouring himself some water, while saying "It seems like it. He told me that it activated when he was a kid, and it allowed him to fell a fairly strong sounding monster, one that was way above his pay grade at the time. And each time it activates, he loses control, so pretty standard stuff there."

Hearing this, Thomas takes a sip, before saying "Well, we can only hope that his Stigma doesn't activate at a bad time during his field study..."

 _Kevin nods, and drinks a bit as well, as they both hope for Rean to have a smooth experience in Legram..._

* * *

 **Same time, Train Station, Legram**

 _After a long train ride, Rean, Laura, Jusis, Gaius, Emma, Milliam finally arrive in Legram, as they all stretch due to being seated for most of the morning..._

Now that the group was standing outside the train station, Rean says "Well, we should first go to the Legram Guild Hall. That's where we're supposed to meet our task master for this field study."

And once they enter the guild hall, they see a blond haired man dressed in a white-ish cloak, who smiles and says "Heyo! The name's Toval. I'll be the guy giving you your assignments for the duration of your field study."

Rean nods, as each member of Group A introduce themselves while Toval fully introduces himself, until Milliam notices a trio sitting near the back. And after that, she says "Hey! Are they Bracers too?"

Toval nods, as they approach, until the brown haired girl says "So you guys are from Class VII... I'm Estelle! We're Bracers from Liberl."

The boy smiles and says "My name is Joshua. It's nice to meet you all."

And the younger girl smirks, and says "Hello..."

Hearing all of this, Rean smiles back, and says "You're all from Liberl, right? Agate told me about you guys. He's been at the academy that we attend."

Estelle's eyes light up, as she says "You know Agate?! Is he still all gruff and serious?"

Rean laughs and nods, but Laura chimes in and says "His skill with a sword is incredible, especially since he never followed any official sword schools..."

Estelle nods, and says "Yeah. My dad tried to give him some lessons, but he just brushed him off. He's a real hardheaded guy..."

Hearing this, Jusis eyes Estelle suspiciously, as he says "Your 'dad'? Is he a particularly skilled swordsman...?"

Estelle's eyes widen as Joshua silently sighs, while she says "Yeah, something like that..."

But unfortunately for Estelle, Rean pries and says "Estelle, what is your last name...?"

Estelle begins to laugh nervously, until she says "...Bright..."

At first, Emma smiles and says "That is a beautiful name..." Estelle smiles, but Rean and Laura begin to stare, as they were reflecting on that specific name along with what they heard from the conversation already.

And then, his eyes widen, while saying "Estelle, is your father _the_ Divine Blade, Cassius Bright?"

Laura adds with an equal amount of surprise, saying "One of the greatest living swordsmen in Zemuria?"

Hearing this, the other members of Class VII step back in shock, as Estelle giggles, before saying "Yeah..." But then she adds, saying "Don't tell anybody, okay! We're kinda supposed to be keeping a low profile..."

Joshua just sighs, and says "If you didn't tell them about dad, we would have been fine..."

Estelle shakes her head, and says "Well then you should have stopped me!"

After that, Rean clears his throat, and says "I won't tell anybody, but does this mean that you're also a student of the Eight Leaves?"

Responding to this, Estelle proudly says "Nope!" And following that, she grabs her staff and begins to twirl it skillfully, before slamming it down onto the ground in front of her, before saying "Never touched a sword! I use the bo staff, just like dad does now!"

Hearing this, Rean says "Oh, so the rumors were true about that. I'd still like to meet him one day, as a student of the Eight Leaves..."

After this, Joshua says "So you're a follower of the Eight Leaves. We've met a few practitioners over the years, but I'm sure that dad would enjoy meeting you..."

Following that, Laura's eyes light up as she says "I'd love to meet him as well! Although I follow the Arseid School, getting to see someone of his skill would be life changing..."

Hearing this, Estelle grins, and says "You say this, but your dad is a pretty big deal too!"

Laura nods, and says "My father is the greatest warrior that I know, and I hope to one day achieve a fraction of his ability..."

She looks down dejectedly, until Estelle happily puts a hand on her shoulder, and says "Don't feel so down! I still get people comparing me to my dad, but I just try to improve myself to be a better me. I'm sure you're plenty skilled already!"

Hearing this, Laura smiles, and says "Thanks for that, Estelle. It's difficult to find others who understand how I feel about this. I'll try to take your advice to heart."

Estelle just grins, and says "That's all I ask!"

But following that, Toval clears his throat, as he says "Now that we've covered introductions, how about I hand out your assignments..."

* * *

 _Estelle's group leaves so Group A could focus on their tasks, going to relax on the 2nd Floor of the guild building…_

And when they were alone, Renne giggles and says "Man Estelle... I'm surprised that you didn't blab about Joshua and I being ex-Enforcers."

Estelle pouts in response, and says "I just got excited when I heard that Agate was in the country... Don't you have a little faith in me?"

Renne merely smirks in response, and says "A little bit maybe..."

Hearing this, Estelle glares and says "Don't think I won't whack you with my staff, missy..."

Renne begins to laugh, as Joshua says "Stop bullying Estelle, Renne..."

She merely shrugs, and says "I'll try..." But then she pauses, and says "To change the subject, I got a weird feeling from that blue haired kid."

Joshua replies, saying "You mean Millium?"

Renne nods, and says "Yeah. I'm not sure why or how, but she smells of the Black Workshop to me..."

Joshua's eyes widen, as Estelle asks "Forgive me if I'm being dumb, but what's the Black Workshop? It's not related to the society's Thirteen Factories, is it?"

Joshua nods, and says "Technically, the Thirteen Factories are just affiliated with Ouroboros, but the Black Workshop is one of those facilities. Although, from what I've last heard, the society may no longer have influence over the Black Workshop..."

Renne nods as well, and adds, saying "I'm not sure what that means about this girl, but it's not really our problem. So we shouldn't worry too much about it..."

 _Following that, the Liberl Bracers continue to relax, before eventually heading out to work on their missions for the day..._

* * *

 **Later in the evening, Thors Grounds, Trista**

 _Around now, Angelica Rogner and Towa Herschel were walking their orbal bike back toward the engineering building, while Tita was having some ice cream and Agate sat with her…_

When Tita sees this, she nearly drops her ice cream and shouts, before saying "What is that? I've never seen an orbal powered bicycle!"

Angelica hears her excited statement, so she smiles and says "Hey there kiddo! I didn't expect somebody so young to be interested in orbal stuff..."

Following that, Tita runs over while Agate casually follows behind her, as she says "I love orbal engineering! I'll be attending school here next year for that!"

Hearing this, Towa grins and says "Well that sounds nice! What's your name? I'm Towa, and that's Angie!"

Tita grins, before respectfully bowing and saying "My name is Tita Russel! It's nice to meet you both."

Hearing this, Towa warmly smile, as she says "Oh, they told me that you'd be attending next year. I'm glad you chose Thors!"

Angie smiles as well, and says "I never thought we'd get a Russel to attend Thors! No wonder you're so interested in my bike." Then, she smirks, and adds, saying "Wanna ride...?"

Tita momentarily blushes, but before she can respond, Crow comes out of nowhere and says "Geez Angie. She's just a little kid..."

Hearing this, Angie laughs and says "Just give it time..."

But after she says this, Agate stares with his mouth agape and says "The hell's wrong with you…?"

Surprisingly, Tita just starts to giggle, and says "She's just like Olivier!"

Angie raises an eyebrow, and asks "Who's that?"

Agate just shakes his head, and says "Trust me, that's not a compliment. I'm assuming you two are upper classmen? I already know Crow is."

Angie nods, and says "Yep! Orbal bike rider! Star student! And martial artist! All wrapped up in one gorgeous package..."

Agate tries to filter out Angie's nonsense, but he rolls back to her comment on martial arts, so he asks "Martial arts? Any particular type?"

Hearing this, she proudly nods, equipping her gauntlets and assuming a fighting stance, before saying "I was taught the Taito style. Bet you've never met somebody who knows that!"

Agate nods, and says "Taito huh? One of my good friends is a Taito master, plus he's an A-rank Bracer."

Angie's eyes light up in response, as she says "Woah! What's his name?"

Agate responds, saying "Zin. I'll let him know about you the next time I see him."

Angie grins in response, and says "Awesome! I'd love to see how I've improved over the years!"

Following that, Tita says "Can I take a look at the orbal bike? I'm so curious to see how it works!"

Towa smiles, and says "Well, we were bringing it back for some maintenance. Would you guys like to join us?"

Before Agate could respond, Tita grabs his hand, and says "Of course! This will be so cool!" Agate simply laughs, as Tita dragged him along, until they reached the engineering building. And once they were there, Angie showed Tita exactly how they maintained the bike, where Tita would unexpectedly offer ways to improve the performance.

As Towa watches, she smiles and says "She really is a prodigy..."

Agate nods, but says "She also works at it really hard. She puts her heart into those machines. She'll definitely surpass the old man one day..."

 _In a surprising turn of events, Tita spent a few hours with Angie and Towa on that orbal bike, while Agate simply watched, understanding little but not minding all that much..._

* * *

 **End Chapter 11**

 **Notes**

Hope you all liked the chapter!

In other news, things will probably start to look messy with my stories, since I've been consolidating my 3 parts of Taki & Mitsuha's Bizarre Adventure into a single entry. I'll probably post chapters in the final location every few days or so. Once all that is finished, things will look much cleaner. So apologies for now!

Take care!

* * *

 **Review Responses**

 **Camperor:** I'm glad you like the story! I doubt I'll address the Calvard Arc, since there's not much info currently, since we're all waiting for Cold Steel 4 to release in Japan. But I at least wanted to bring Zin back in. Thanks for the review.

 **JohnJoestar17:** Thanks for your review! And about Weissmann, I included him because of his role in Trails 3rd. But he's also a fun villain to me, so that also influenced things. I've got the general plan for him down, so I hope you enjoy it, whenever that happens.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **Same Time, The Sky, Erebonia**

* * *

 _Currently, Olivert was ferrying Victor back to his home in Legram, since he would not be needed for the time being..._

As they flew through the air, Victor scratches at his small beard and says "You've gathered a decent group, Olivert. I would have never imagined that the leader of the ILF would cooperate with us, let alone that he was a student at Thors..."

Olivert nods and says "I feel the same way. I really must thank Kevin for arranging that. I fully understand his motivations, and I hope our involvement will edge him toward a better path. But I need to do as much as I can because Ouroboros will not hold back if they believe they have a chance at obtaining a Sept-Terrion."

Hearing this, Victor folds his arms, and says "Speaking of them, after all of your meetings, do have an idea of which members of Ouroboros might be involved?"

Olivert answers, saying "For the Enforcers, according to what Captain Claire said, Walter the Direwolf seems to be active in the country. And according to Ries, Bleublanc the Phantom Thief seems to also be active. Other than that, Kevin actually had a brief encounter with one of their Anguis a few nights ago."

Victor's eyes slightly widen, as he says "An Anguis? They are essentially like leaders of the society, correct? That one would obviously be in charge of any plans."

Olivert nods and says "That is right. I understand that the famous diva Vita Clotilde's true identity is the 2nd Anguis of Ouroboros, the Azure Abyss. I've never dealt with her personally, and I don't have much Intel on her, but I am sure that she will be a dangerous foe."

* * *

 _Following that, they continue to idly chat until The Courageous lands in Legram, late at night..._

As Victor leaves, Olivert says "I think we should plan for you to return next month, and at that point, you should remain in Trista in secret. We need to be ready for whenever Ouroboros finally makes their move..."

Victor nods while walking toward his manor, before saying "Good hunting my friend! No matter the current state of affairs in Erebonia, I will always be an ally."

 _Olivert smiles while returning to the airship, glad to have a political ally with the level of influence that Victor holds. And with that, he returns to Trista, ready to continue to plan and prepare, until Ouroboros decides to take action..._

* * *

 **Early Morning, Legram**

 _Now that the second day of the field study started, Rean and company make their way to the Arseid Manor, hearing that Laura's father returned..._

When they enter the manor, Klaus bows at them, and says "Good morning to you all! I hope you slept peacefully..."

Jusis responds first, saying "Perfectly, so thank you again for the hospitality..."

Gaius nods and says "I feel truly refreshed. I look forward to doing today's work. And please let us know if you need anything else from us."

Klaus merely smiles and says "You need not worry yourselves with anything like that. Just keep focusing on your tasks and I am sure that Sir Arseid feels the same way."

Surprisingly, a hearty laugh bellows from the other room, as a man says "That I do! I would like to meet Laura's friends though..." Following that, he enters the room and says "I am Victor S. Arseid. It is a pleasure to meet all of you!"

Laura goes to greet her father, while the others respectfully bow, as she says "Father! I'm glad you could return to see us. Was your business finished?"

Victor grins and responds, saying "Of course! Even still, how could I miss the chance to see my darling daughter, while she's been away at school..."

Hearing this, Laura blushes, and quietly says "Father, please... You're embarrassing me..."

Victor just laughs and says "Is that not what parents are meant to do?"

After that, Rean approaches and says "I must say that it is an honor to meet the master of the Arseid School. I hope to one day obtain even a fraction of the skill that you hold..."

Hearing this, Victor folds his arms and says "You should not speak with such narrow goals. Do not aspire to be lesser than I am. Aspire to surpass me!" Rean's eyes widen, as Victor continues while smiling and saying "But you seem to have inherited Teo's respectful disposition..."

After that, Rean says "Wait... Have you met my father?"

Victor shakes his head but says "Not personally, but I have heard much about him and he seems to be the model of a town leader and a noble. He taught you well and I'm sure he's proud of you..." Then he turns to Jusis, and says "And you seem to be the total opposite of your father, at least in your attitude."

The others gasp, but Jusis bows again and says "I see that as a compliment, so thank you Lord Arseid..."

Following that, Victor says "I understand that you all will be quite busy today so I will leave you to all to your field study. Unless any of you have any pressing matters with me..."

For a few moments, there was silence, before Rean speaks up and says "If I may be so bold, Sir Arseid, but might you honor me with a brief duel? I know I cannot even dream to match you in skill yet, but there is still something that I must try to do..."

Hearing this, Laura steps toward Rean, and says "What are you thinking? Neither of us are ready to challenge my father!" The others watch silently in shock, as Victor eyes Rean, seeing that he had a determined look currently.

After a few moments, Victor says "If you wish it, then so be it. Klaus, we will go to the training hall."

 _Klaus nods and walks, as Victor and the Class VII students followed, toward the Arseid training hall..._

Now that they were inside, Rean and Victor were positioned to begin their battle, as Klaus stood by to mediate. The other students watched nervously, while Jusis says "I know Rean can be hardheaded, but this just seems foolish..."

Milliam nods and says "Yeah, he seems super tough! There's no way Rean could beat him."

But before they began, Rean took a sort of religious pose, as if he was praying before the fight. Emma notices this first, and says "Did Rean ever seem particularly religious to any of you?"

Gaius shakes his head, and says "Not particularly; he always seemed to be as religious as most people. He definitely never prayed to Aidios before a battle."

Rean seemed to be muttering to himself, surprising Victor but also reminding him of what he saw the previous night. He didn't understand why, but Rean seemed to be emulating that Father Graham's general demeanor before starting a fight, and that in of itself was curious to Victor.

Soon, Rean began to glow with a slightly dull but warm light, while a strange energy seemed to flow around the room. As they watch in shock, Gaius says "This feels... almost holy..."

But then, that energy started to feel heavy and almost poisonous, to the point that it made his friends feel unnerved. Seeing this, Victor prepared to begin, assuming that Rean was losing control of whatever he was attempting to channel.

Before that could happen, the surge of energy suddenly stopped, as Rean collapsed to his knees, taking deep breaths. While he did this, Jusis and Gaius run up and help him back up, while Rean coughs and exhaustedly says "It seems like I still can't control it yet..."

Once Rean was back to his feet, Victor says "I can't say I understand what that energy was, but you seemed to be able to stop the right, so that seems like progress if I ever saw it."

Hearing this, Rean smiles and says "Thank you... I still have a lot of work, but it's at least better than it was."

Following that, the students leave to begin working on their tasks, while Rean says "Could you all not mention what I did to the others?"

Jusis looks at Rean skeptically, and says "What even was that, Rean?"

Rean sighs and says "I really can't say what it is, but it's something somewhat unique to me. I'm working on how to control it, so I wanted to have a safe way to gauge my progress."

Hearing this, Laura says "By control it, do you mean that you might attack your friends if this happened again?"

Rean nods, surprising his friends, but then he says "I've done enough training so far that I can keep this surprised consistently, so I don't need to worry about accidentally harming any of you."

Emma warmly smiles and says "We trust you Rean. But you should tell the others when you can. We're all part of Class VII, and we'll support each other..."

Gaius nods and says "As friends, we share each other's burdens, so no one needs to be weighed down. You're not alone here, Rean."

Hearing this, Rean smiles and says "I'll make sure to tell them soon. Thanks, everyone..."

* * *

 _Now that Group A was prepared to continue their tasks for their field study, Estelle and company decide to visit Victor Arseid, wanting to thank him for his hospitality..._

When they enter the manor and see Victor, Estelle speaks first, saying "Hello Sir Arseid! We really appreciate you letting us stay here."

Joshua nods and adds, saying "I'm aware that we could cause trouble for you, due to our reputation, so thank you..."

Victor grins in response, and says "Don't mention it! I must admit that when I heard that the Cassius' kids needed to get to Erebonia, I couldn't resist the chance to meet them."

Hearing this, Estelle loudly gasps and says "You know our dad?"

Victor smiles and says "I've only had the pleasure of meeting him once, but his reputation precedes him. And you three look fairly experienced yourselves."

After that, Renne raises an eyebrow and says "Three? I'm just a young girl..."

Victor merely smirks at Renne, and says "Do you really think I wouldn't have known who you were? When I heard that the society even trained children to fight for them, I felt terrible, so I'm happy you're trying to live a life of your own choosing."

Hearing this, Renne glares and says "Aren't you being too casual about this? What if I was here to assassinate you?"

Victor laughs and says "Are you saying that you'd like to challenge me? And besides, I can determine that at the very least..."

But then Renne smiles and says "Regarding what you said, I do enjoy being with Estelle and Joshua. If anything, it's too interesting to see her react to things..."

Hearing this, Estelle pouts and says "Do I need to grab my staff?"

Renne slightly giggles in response and says "That's what I like best about you, Estelle..."

Following that, Victor says "Estelle, did you have a chance to meet with my daughter, Laura?"

Estelle nods and says "Yep! She seemed really nice but a bit too serious..."

Victor sighs and says "Yes... I fear that my status puts a difficult strain on her. She focuses almost entirely on surpassing me, to the point that she struggled to make meaningful friends. Could you do me a favor and speak more with her? You could surely see what she must be going through..."

Estelle gives a happy thumbs up, and says "I can definitely be her friend! I know I get real tired of people comparing me to my dad..." But then she grins and adds, saying "These days, people don't do it as often, probably because I threaten to pummel them with my staff..."

Hearing this, Victor laughs and says "That might not be the advice I'd give her, but I can't deny the effectiveness..."

But then Joshua's tone grows more pressing, as he says "You were away yesterday, correct? Was it on serious business?"

 _Victor nods in response, and then explains what happened while he was away, understanding that it would be highly relevant to them as well…_

Once he was finished, Renne taps her chin and says "If there could be a Sept-Terrion somewhere on Thors' campus, then it would definitely be a target for Ouroboros."

Joshua nods and says "I've only met Vita Clotilde a few times so I cannot speak to her ability, but she must have an intricate plan ready. I hope Olivert is able to challenge it..."

Estelle merely grins and says "Well, all we need to do is show up and beat them up! My staff is ready to knock out those Ouroboros jerks!"

Hearing this, Renne giggles and says "It never changes with you, huh...?"

Victor bellows a hearty laugh and says "I can always respect a straightforward approach!"

 _Following that conversation, Estelle and company take their leave from the Arseid manor, ready to do more bracer work today..._

* * *

 **Late Morning, Empty Alleyway, Heimdallr**

 _In this sparsely populated location, two members of Ouroboros, Walter, and Bleublanc, were secretly meeting..._

Walter takes a drag of his cigarette, before saying "So it seems like this mission could be pretty fun... Do ya think it'll be crazier than the last one?"

Bleublanc chuckles to himself and says "That's a tricky question, my friend... I have my suspicions that we will see more than a few interesting characters. It also depends on if there is actually something of interest at the target location."

Walter nods and says "That's true. Personally, I just want a good fight. I couldn't care less if we actually get what we were looking for..."

Hearing this, Bleublanc smiles and says "Well, I met our favorite Grail Knight's squire, so you should get at least one monster to face off against."

After that, Walter laughs and says "He's one guy that I wanna see just how strong they are. I've got a feeling that he held back, even back when we were brought to that creepy dream landscape..."

Then Bleublanc scratches his chin and says "It's a wonder that we remember what happened, even to a minor degree, given that we weren't even technically there ourselves. It was as if our consciousness was brought into that odd world, just for that battle..."

Walter nods and says "Yeah, and that's another reason why I wasn't a fan. If I wanna square off against somebody, I wanna do it myself. How the hell am I supposed to enjoy it otherwise?"

 _Following that brief conversation, the enforcers go their separate ways, continuing to wait until The Society makes a move..._

* * *

 **END CHAPTER 12**

Notes

It's been little bit since the last chapter. I've just been a bit busy. Hope you like this one!

Also, hopefully I'll be able to reach the end of this major arc soon, but who knows. I've got stuff planned after this first major arc, which will pretty much deviate from canon where it'll have fairly new material. It should be fun.

Take care!

* * *

Review Responses

 **JohnJoestar17** : Thanks for another two reviews! For Crow's fate, I definitely want him to have a happy ending. I also want to make sure that the casual joke-oriented Crow can remain his true personality. And yeah I definitely want to deviate from canon, at least so different characters can interact. After this major arc is finished, things should really start to deviate, in a more relaxed way with a bit less direness.

 **Camperor** : I'm glad you liked those character interactions! And about OCs, I'll give a 'no' for that. The way I see it, there are too many characters that I want to get shown off that there wouldn't be room for any OCs.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 _About a week passes, as the field study ends successfully for all of Class VII. And when they return, they are introduced to Alan Richard, who recently joined Thors as a new instructor focusing on intelligence gathering and usage. But after one particular class with Richard, Rean and Laura decide to stay behind and chat about their respective training experiences..._

* * *

Rean starts to pack up his things while saying "How have you been since we got back from the field study? You must have felt particularly inspired after seeing your father."

Laura nods and says "I've been working even harder since I've gotten back. If I keep at it, maybe I could really surpass him one day..."

Upon hearing this, Richard walks over and says "Training? It sounds like you two keep yourselves busy outside of class..."

After that, Laura quickly stands, and then says "Instructor Richard! Yes... I follow my family's sword style."

Richard replies, saying "I figured as much... That will prove to be a valuable asset to you once you leave Thors. What about you, Rean?"

Rean also nods and says "I personally follow the Eight Leaves One Blade school, but I still consider myself somewhat of a beginner..."

And upon hearing that, Richard smiles and says "How curious..." But after that, he walks toward his desk, confusing Rean and Laura. Once he walks behind it, he pulls out a katana held in an ornate sheath, before saying "I planned on keeping this hidden, but after hearing this, how can I continue to try?"

After that, Rean says "You're a swordsman, Instructor Richard...?" He does not answer and instead assumes his normal battle stance, causing Rean's and Laura's eyes to widen. Then, Rean quietly says "Instructor... are you a follower of the Eight Leaves?"

Richard nods and says "That is correct... I was taught by one of the greatest individuals in all of Zemuria; so I empathize with the both of you. I also have a high wall to climb to reach his level..."

While the two students remain speechless, Richard smiles and says "Would you like to head to the field with me? I am quite curious about your abilities as swordsmen..."

 _They both nod, as Richard leads them out the building toward the field. And as they walked, they run into Sara, who decides to join them..._

* * *

Once they all reach the training area, Richard says "Would either of you be opposed to a short spar? Personally, I believe that you learn the most about combat when you cross blades with another skilled individual."

Before they can respond, Sara chimes in and says "Why don't we let them have a quick warm up? I still have a few training dummies to spare..." After that, she activates one of the unique combat shells she uses for the field exams, as Rean and Laura draw their weapons.

Now that the enemy was in front of them, Rean and Laura start to fight, making sure to use the sword techniques that they had learned so far. While Richard observes them, he turns to Sara and says "I expected Laura to be this skilled, but Rean seems far better than a mere beginner. He is even more modest than I thought..."

Sara sighs and nods, before saying "I wish he'd get a bit more confidence in himself... Somehow though, I have a feeling that he'll start believing in himself more..."

But once they dispatched the combat shell, Richard says "Well, are you both ready? Fight me with all that you have!" After that, Sara provides them all with practice weapons, so that no one would be injured during the exercise.

Both Rean and Laura ready themselves, before charging at their new instructor, attempting to use their best techniques. Unsurprisingly, Richard effortlessly parries each of their moves, while striking with ease. And as the two of them struggle for a few minutes, they back away, possibly to figure out a new plan.

Then, Laura says "He really is skilled... I'm not sure if either of us could defeat him..."

Rean nods and says "I know... He's obviously an expert at the Eight Leaves. We should train more before even considering facing him..."

Surprisingly, when Richard hears this, he plants his blade into the ground, and loudly says "As my master once told me: If you think of this as a hopeless battle, then that's exactly what it will be!" The two students back away in shock, while Richard continues and says "You have forged a strong bond as fighters and comrades, so use that to your advantage. I am but a lone warrior, and you both have highly effective ways of cooperating, so capitalize on it..."

After that, Rean and Laura share a look, before charging ahead with a renewed sense of passion. This time, they use their ARCUS units to synch up flawlessly so that they could deny Richard any moments to recover. And after a few more minutes of this, they seem to be wearing Richard down, thoroughly impressing him.

But then, Richard suddenly disarms the both of them in two fluid movements, before saying "That's the spirit... I hope you see how a battle can change if you believe in your victory." And as they slowly get up, Richard smiles and says "Of course, you need more than just that to win a battle. But a lack of personal faith will surely cripple you. It took a long time for me to learn that truth..."

Following that, Sara smirks and says "Looks like you both got an extra lesson!"

* * *

 _After that, Rean and Laura go about the rest of their day, taking that lesson to heart. And as this week continues, Rean continues to work with Kevin so he could more easily control his Stigma. But near the end of this week, Prince Olivert prepared himself for another trip across the country, this time doing so for reasons outside of The Society..._

When Olivert and Mueller enter the Courageous early in the morning, Olivert says "While we need to be prepared for The Society, we cannot neglect the threat that Osborne represents…"

Mueller nods and says "That is true. He holds roughly 70% of the current military power in Erebonia."

Hearing that, Olivert sighs and says "Must you remind me, my dear Mueller...? But with the information we've gathered on Osborne's ties to The Society, we should hopefully be able to bring a few key people to our side."

 _After that, they take off and make their way for Zender Gate first..._

* * *

 **One hour later...**

 _When they arrive at the military base, they are warmly welcomed, before being led to the commander's quarters..._

Once they enter, Lieutenant-General Zechs Vander stands, before saying "Your Highness, it is good to see you in perfect health!"

Hearing this, Olivert sits down and says "It is always a pleasure, but please, we are here on important business. Treat me as you always have..."

After that, Zechs sits back down, and says "I understand..." He pauses for a moment, before saying "Olivert... Mueller... It truly is good to see you both. Now, what is your business here today?"

Olivert quickly hands Zechs a dossier that laid out, in detail, the connections between Chancellor Osborne and Ouroboros. Once Zechs reads this over, he looks up and says "So, can I assume that you plan to visit other influential generals as well, Olivert?"

He nods, before saying "As long as Ouroboros acts blatantly in our nation, I cannot allow Osborne's collaboration to go on. And besides all of that, I will not simply watch as the country I love dearly becomes one that tramples over all of its neighbors, only for the sake of power."

After that, Zechs sighs to himself, before saying "Personally, I never agreed with his expansionist policies. And my experience during Liberl's Orbal Shutdown Crisis truly opened my eyes about Chancellor Osborne's way of doing things. But I am sure you know that I would gladly support you Olivert, even if it meant opposing the chancellor directly." Then he pauses, before smiling while adding "I take it you came more for guidance than for a pledge of support?"

Olivert smiles back while saying "Exactly. Do you know which generals I should focus on for this? And do you believe that the evidence I have is strong enough?"

Zechs nods, before saying "I think the evidence is fine; as anyone in the upper ranks would be aware of the danger that Ouroboros presents to our nation. And for who to approach..." He trails off, before continuing "Generals Le Guin and Bardias wouldn't be difficult to get to challenge the chancellor, as they seem to be leaning toward the Noble Faction anyway. You would need to convince them to work with you, rather than the Noble Faction. I would also try and visit Lieutenant General Craig, as he is fairly reasonable. If he sees what you've presented in this dossier, he could be swayed."

After that, Zechs furrows his brow, before saying "Of course, all of this depends on you in the end, Olivert. If you can show that you are doing all of this for a true love of Erebonia, it just might be enough..."

Olivert smiles in response, before saying "This has been a huge help. Thank you for everything. And I'm sorry for getting you stuck out here..."

Hearing this, Zechs lightly chuckles, before saying "I agreed back then upon my own accord. If I allowed another war to start under false pretenses, just like Hamel, then I wouldn't be able to look at myself as a military man..."

After that, Olivert stands up while Mueller says "It was good to see you again, uncle... I will make sure to keep that one out of harm's way..."

Zechs merely smiles and says "Quite a thankless job; isn't it? That is the duty of the Vander Family..."

 _Once they were finished, Olivert and Mueller board the Courageous, to make their way to their next destination..._

* * *

 **Early Afternoon**

 _Around this time, Agate was walking toward Trista, hoping to chat with Old Man Micht in the hopes of getting information for establishing a Bracer guild hall in town. And as he walked, he notices Crow, who approaches him to chat..._

Crow walks up and waves, before slyly smiling and saying "How's it goin' Agate?"

Agate smiles and says "I'm doin' alright. I'm headed off to the Trista pawn shop."

Hearing this, Crow smirks and says "Oh, visiting Old Man Micht? You trying to gather information...?"

Agate merely raises an eyebrow and says "Yeah... How'd you know he deals in information? Was it from your part-time job…?"

Crow nervously coughs, while saying "Oh... Something like that... I never showed up myself, so don't tell him!" But then he laughs to himself, before saying "Anyway... What's it like being a Bracer? I kinda never thought about what to do after graduating, for obvious reasons now, so I'm trying to brainstorm on things to do..."

Hearing this, Agate smiles and says "In a word: fulfilling. You see, I used to be a common street thug, but an insanely tough Bracer knocked me toward the Bracer path. So now I get to help out random people while exploring the world, plus I get paid for it. It ain't a bad time..."

After that, Crow taps his chin and says "I hear it's pretty similar to what the student council gets Rean to do. I guess you get to use a variety of skills?"

Agate nods and says "Exactly... One time, I was with a group, and we had to beat a lady's husband at gambling. I'm not much of a gambler, so I just scared him into folding... It's not just exterminating monsters; although you do get plenty of that."

 _The two of them continued to chat, until they made it to Micht's pawn shop, after which he and Agate share information about Bracers in the country. Crow merely enjoys the experience, so he listens in, glad that he didn't have to go to Micht for any pressing matters for the time being..._

* * *

 **About two hours later...**

 _And soon, The Courageous finally lands in Lamarre Province, where Oliver and Mueller planned to meet the next general on their list..._

 **Notes**

Hope you all liked the chapter! Some of this stuff here will be setting up for the arc after the first main one.

Take care!

 **Review Responses**

JohnJoestar17: Thanks for the review! We're definitely getting closer and closer to the climax of this arc. So I hope you enjoy it when the story gets there. And also there was already a smaller interaction between Estelle and Laura a few chapters back. But there will surely be more in the future.

Camperor: Thanks for the review! And I'm glad you like the character interactions.


	14. Chapter 14

**Afternoon, Naval Fortress of Juno, Lamarre Province**

When they land, Olivert and Mueller are respectfully but also nervously escorted to Brigadier General Bardias' office. But when they enter, they see that General Le Guin was also present, causing Olivert to politely bow and say "My humblest greetings to you both. I apologize in advance for my sudden visit…"

Brigadier General Bardias merely smiles and says "What kind of fortress would this be if I couldn't cater to royalty now and again…? It is excellent to see you in good health, Your Highness."

General Le Guin nods and says "Likewise. It is always an honor to see you, Your Highness…" But then she slyly smiles and adds, saying "And what brings us the honor of this visit, Prince Olivert…? I can safely assume that this is not a simple matter."

Prince Olivert smiles back and says "You are most astute General… I've come here to share a particular piece of intelligence, as well as a relating request."

Following that, he gives both generals a copy of the file on Chancellor Osborne and his relationship with Ouroboros. The two generals take a few minutes to read over the intel, while Prince Olivert sits and observes their reactions, hoping that this will sway them to his side.

Bardias speaks first, saying "If this information is accurate, then it is disturbing, to say the least. How did you obtain this information, Prince Olivert?"

Olivert replies, saying "It was a mixture of viewing the Liberl Orbal Shutdown first hand and Osborne's own statements." He then explains his experience in Liberl during that time, focusing on his own encounters with Ouroboros and the attempted Erebonian invasion at the height of the event.

After all of that, Le Guin speaks up next, saying "I have no reason to doubt you Prince Olivert. It is no secret in the military that the two of us would support the nobles if a civil war did break out. Is that what you would have us do?"

Olivert shakes his head and says "Even though I am an Erebonian prince, I do not consider myself to be a part of the Noble Faction. This may appear foolish, but I desire to form a third equal faction, as I find many faults in the two main factions."

Upon hearing that, Bardias raises an eyebrow and says "Aren't you essentially asking us to commit treason in order to ally with you?"

Olivert raises a finger and retorts, saying "Unfortunately, my father would most likely support the chancellor in a hypothetical civil war." He then smiles and adds, saying "If you chose to support the Noble Faction, you'd be committing treason anyway…"

Bardias sighs and grumbles in response, before saying "His Majesty would support Osborne…? Damn…"

Le Guin smirks, however, and says "That matters little as His Majesty holds very little power currently. Osborne and his reformists have him in the palm of their hand…"

Olivert sadly frowns and says "Your observation is astute and upsetting. There is very little I could do to sway him."

But Le Guin replies, saying "All of that is beside the point Prince Olivert. Why should we lend our support to you over the nobles?"

Olivert thinks for a moment, before saying "To put it plainly; the people would suffer under the Noble Faction if they took full control over the nation." The two generals listen silently, as Olivert explains, saying "It is a known issue that the nobles try to bleed the common people whenever they are able, either for labor or for money, sometimes both. And even though I do not find issue with many of the reformist ideas, their rampant expansion leaves far too many people hurt and trodden over."

After taking all of that in, Le Guin says "All that sounds well and good, but how do you plan on challenging both factions at once?"

Olivert smiles and says "I doubt I'd have much trouble convincing the Noble Faction to wait a while longer, as long as things remain how they currently are and they see that I plan on opposing the Chancellor too. But for Osborne, it would be a matter of striking when he'd least expect it, and I have a method of ensuring that chance."

Bardias taps his chin curiously before saying "Really now…? Do you mind sharing?"

Olivert nods, before saying "Of course. But first, what do you know about the Imperial Liberation Front…?"

* * *

 _Following that, their conversation continues, as Olivert was one step closer to earning the allegiance of both experienced generals…_

Olivert begins by informing them who Crow was and how he was the leader of the ILF, although he adds that Crow is now fully cooperating with him to dismantle the group from the inside.

With that, Le Guin says "That is already impressive on its own Prince Olivert. The ILF has been quite the troublesome group all across the country…"

Bardias nods and says "While that's a nice bargaining chip, how does this relate the overall discussion, Your Highness?"

Olivert replies, saying "Because of my current collaboration with Crow Armbrust, I was given access to many of the internal files of the ILF; most importantly their finances. I've learned a few interesting things about who exactly financed them.."

The generals listen, as Olivert continues, saying "First, 50% of their finances came from the higher nobles, which isn't exactly shocking. But I've seen that about 20% of their finances came from groups tied to Ouroboros. And that only proves that they just desire to spread chaos across the country. Regardless of all of that, it is the remaining 30% that is most pertinent to the discussion."

Olivert continues, saying "This took a bit more research on my end, but I do have access to other resources for that, so I was able to uncover that last backer. Now, this was done through a seemingly unrelated 3rd party company, but many of the higher ups of that company have ties to the Intelligence Division, which is squarely in the pocket of Chancellor Osborne."

Upon hearing that, Le Guin's eyes momentarily widen before she collects herself and says "That would be quite the damning piece of information. But can you prove to us that this is all true and accurate?"

Olivert nods and pulls out another prepared file while saying "Please read through this. It contains the sources I found and the bulk of my overall research."

The generals examine the other documents that Olivert provided, taking some time to closely read them until Le Guin eventually says "With this, I cannot support either the reformists or the nobles with a good conscience. Can you confirm that your plan will be the best for Erebonia and its people?"

Olivert nods again and says "Absolutely. I wish for nothing more than for Erebonia to become beautiful. After viewing his attempt at invading Liberl two years ago from the outside, I truly realize just how ugly certain parts of this country still is…"

After that, Bardia stands and approaches the prince, before extending his arm and saying "Well consider me convinced. As long as you have a solid battle plan, I'll fight for you as hard as I can."

Le Guinn smiles as well and says "That goes for me as well. Let us know when you will make your move against Osborne, and we will mobilize our forces where you suggest." But after that, she turns to the silent Mueller and says "If you have any spare time, I'd enjoy a short spar. I'm curious if I can stand against you with my current level of skill."

Mueller smiles back and says "After dealing with that fool of a prince all day, I could use a chance cut loose…"

Upon hearing that, Olivert sighs and says "Must you drag my name through the mud so readily…? You could at least do so in a more gentle fashion…" But then he smiles and adds, saying "We are a bit ahead of schedule so we can stay here a bit longer, at least before moving to the next destination."

 _Following that, Aurelia Le Guin leads Mueller to one of the training rooms of the fortress, while Olivert and Bardias share some tea while chatting…_

* * *

 **Same Time, The Old School House, Trista**

 _While Mueller and Aurelia Le Guin were enjoying a sporting duel, Kevin and Rean, along with Richard, were going over some more training back in Trista..._

Rean suddenly sighs to himself and says "Are you sure this is a good idea? What if I lose control again…?"

Kevin just smirks and says "Oh you'll definitely lose control at some point. But it'd be good to see how long that takes now since we've been working at it for a little over a month."

Rean hesitantly nods, but then says "I guess that makes sense; but why is Instructor Richard here as well?"

Richard answers, saying "Kevin asked me to help him out. As a fellow Eight Leaves practitioner, I'll know the moment you lose yourself to that Stigma of yours. It would be highly beneficial to precisely know your limit, would it not, Rean?"

Rean nods again and says "When you put it that way… Okay, let's give it a try!"

After that, Rean activates his Stigma by utter a short and simple prayer to Aidios, before charging at Richard. Their blades begin to clash, as the physical boosts from Rean's Stigma allowed him to fight the Eight Leaves master at a more equal level. And while they fought, Kevin watched closely, while keeping an accurate record of time.

But after exactly five minutes, Rean stumbles back and roars loudly, as the power of the Stigma increased at an incredible rate. And after that, Rean charged again at Richard, this time fighting more like a rabid animal than as a swordsman. Due to this, Richard had little trouble with redirecting his attacks, even if they did carry a much larger amount of force with them. At this point, Kevin sneaks behind Rean and utters a prayer of his own, disabling the Stigma and causing him to fall to the floor.

Rean struggles to get up, so Richard helps him as he says "That Stigma was impressive, at least while you manages to stay in control."

Rean breathes heavily in response and tiredly says "It was so tough to just stay lucid of my surroundings. But eventually, I just couldn't keep it up, and it felt like I fell into a hazy dream."

Kevin nods and says "Yep. That's how it usually feels when a Stigma bearer loses control of themselves. At your current level of training, you can last exactly five minutes while your Stigma is active. I'd say you made some serious progress, Rean!"

Upon hearing that, Rean smiles, but the coughs while saying "Ugg… My body feels so weak now…"

Kevin scratches his chin while saying "That's the after effect of activating your Stigma while you're still not used to using it. It completely drains your stamina, so you'll need to use it wisely while on the field."

After that, Rean asks "Can you use your Stigma without feeling drained, Kevin?"

Kevin sighs in response and says "For the most part, but I usually feel a bit winded if I use it too frequently or for too long. But I only really started using it a few years ago, so I needed to catch up, so to speak."

But after that, Rean coughs again, so Richard says "Why don't we bring you to nurse Beatrix? You could use some rest after this."

 _Rean nods, so Kevin and Richard lead him there, while Kevin mentally prepares himself for a scolding for causing all of this..._

* * *

 **One Hour Later, Naval Fortress of Juno, Lamarre Province**

 _By this point, Le Guinn finished her casual spar with Mueller, so they return to Bardias' office…_

While they enter, Le Guinn smiles and says "Your blade has only grown sharper Major Mueller. I do wonder which of us will succeed Master Zechs…"

Mueller nods and says "Your skill was just as impressive, General Le Guinn. It was a well-earned draw. I'll need to increase my training to keep up with you…"

Now that they were back in the office, Bardias waves and says "Sounds like you both had a fun time. I wish spear users were more common in Erebonia. It's not the same to clash with an equally skilled swordsman…"

Upon hearing that, Olivert smiles and says "I did meet a particularly skilled spearman while I traveled in Liberl. He's even an A rank Bracer…"

After that, Bardias taps his chin and says "That's a surprise… If you ever run into him again, ask him to drop by if he ever winds up in Erebonia. I'd definitely enjoy meeting him."

Olivert nods and says "Of course…"

Then, he suddenly stands up and says "I truly appreciate both the hospitality you provided and your willingness to listen to my foolishness, but I'm afraid we must take our leaves…"

Mueller nods and says "It was a pleasure as always to see you two." After that, he salutes, prompting the other two to respond in kind.

Le Guinn speaks up next, saying "So your next stop is the 4th Armored Division, I presume?"

Olivert smiles and responds, saying "That is correct. I would like to meet with Lieutenant General Olaf Craig next. Wish me luck…"

Bardias scratches his chin and says "He's with the Imperial Army so you might have a tougher time getting him to oppose the Chancellor, but I'm sure you'll manage it Prince Olivert."

Olivert smiles and says "Thank you for your support. Well, be well you two…"

 _Following that, Olivert and Mueller leave for the Courageous again, to leave for the 4th Armored Division next…_

 **AN: Sorry it's been quite a while guys. I've been both busy with other stuff and just not feeling as motivated to write. I'll try to get back into the swing of things, but I hope you enjoy the chapter regardless!**

 **Review Responses:**

JohnJoestar17

Thanks for the review! Glad you enjoyed the chapter.

Chronostorm

Thank you for both reviews! Since I still haven't finished Cold Steel 2, they were informative to me. I'll probably still keep things going how they are for now. But thank you for the information regardless.


	15. Chapter 15

**Early Afternoon, Train Station, Trista**

 _While Olivier and Mueller were flying to their next destination, Agate was preparing to take a train down to Celdic for a Bracer job, but runs into a few Thors students on the way to the station…_

Sitting on a nearby bench were Angelica and Fie, who were relaxing and chatting, and when Angelica sees him, she waves and says "Oh hey Agate! Where are you off to?"

Hearing that, Agate walks over and replies, saying "I've got a job request to do down in Celdic. Hopefully, it's interesting."

After that, Angelica smiles and says "Bracer work… Oh, I have an idea!"

Agate raises an eyebrow suspiciously and asks "What kinda idea?"

Angelica smiles again and says "Can we tag along? I know I've always been curious about Bracer stuff…"

In response to that, Agate frowns and says "I'm not a huge fan of bringing stragglers around for jobs, no offense…"

Angelica smirks and says "Us Thors students can be quite resourceful. And I do practice Taito, even if I'm still an intermediate." But then she turns to Fie and adds, saying "And this little cutie will be even more helpful than me…"

Fie's eyes widen upon hearing that, partially from Angelica's 'compliment' and partially because Angelica was hinting at her previous occupation. She just shakes her head and says "I'll pass. This is a good time for a nap…"

Agate just stares at Angelica wordlessly and says "Is there somethin' wrong with your head or something?" But then he turns to Fie and says "Ignoring that comment, I don't mind you coming along if you can hold your weight. And just to throw it out there, I used to be a common street thug before joining the Bracers, so I'm the type to really judge others. If that's what you were worried about."

Angelica smiles in response and says "I'm just a connoisseur…" Then she turns to Fie and says "Agate's a good guy. You can tell him."

Fie eventually sighs and says "I used to be in a Jaeger Corp..."

Upon hearing that, Agate taps his chin while saying "A Jaeger huh… Can't say I know many of them, since they're pretty much illegal down in Liberl. So now you're goin' to a military academy?"

Fie nods and says "Yeah, pretty much. I'm Fie by the way. I'm in Class VII."

After that, Agate nods back and says "Ah so you're classmates with Rean and Laura, huh? Nice to meet ya." Then, he adds, "You guys can tag along if you want, I guess. Just to warn ya, Bracer jobs aren't always interesting. We could be going up there for a simple escort or to find a lost item…"

 _With that, Agate, Angelica, and Fie board the next train to Celdic…_

 **30 Minutes Later…**

Now that they reached Celdic, the group goes to the market manager, who was their client for this request…

When they reach manager Otto's home, Agate introduces himself, saying "Hey there. I'm Agate, the Bracer who accepted your request. What do you need?"

Otto smiles and says "I'm glad you came so quickly. Truth be told, I'm having a serious issue with the market…"

Upon hearing that, Angelica says "Wait, the market? That doesn't sound good at all…"

Otto nods, but then looks up and says "Oh, are you another Bracer, miss?"

Angelica shakes her head and says "Nah, the two of us are Thors students. I'm Angelica and that's Fie. She's part of the special Class VII…"

Fie sighs to herself and says "We're not that special…" Then she quickly adds, saying "Oh and nice to meet you."

Otto's eyes suddenly widen as he says "Class VII you say? So you're part of that bunch, huh? Your classmates were a great help to the market a few months back…" But after that, he begins to explain his request, saying "Unfortunately, one of our stalls was robbed and vandalized a few days ago. I've heard people talk about some suspicious folks wandering around here recently, so I hope you can help with this…"

With that information, Agate nods and says "Sounds rough. We'll get to the bottom of this."

 _After that, Agate and the others leave the manager's house so they could plan out their next move…_

Now that they were outside, Angelica asks "So what's the plan, Mr. Expert?"

Agate scratches his chin and says "Well, for now, we just ask around town. And if we don't get a lead with that, then we can check the stall next."

In response to that, Fie asks "Is it really that simple?"

Agate nods and says "Pretty much. You've gotta have a good investigative intuition though. Typically you get small bits of info scattered along, that typically aren't useful alone, so you'll need to put it all together to come to a reasonable conclusion."

With that, Agate and the gang go around speaking with the townsfolk, slowly gathering clues to what might have happened to the damaged market stall. After that, they go to inspect the stall itself, but end up seeing Captain Claire also doing some investigating…

When Agate sees her, he waves and says "Captain Claire? What are you up to?"

Claire stands up and waves back, while saying "Oh, hello Agate. What brings you to Celdic? And it's good to see you both too, Angelica and Fie."

Fie smiles and says "Hey…"

Angelica smirks and says "Man you're looking as good as ever, Captain Claire…"

Upon hearing that, Claire's eyes widen as Agate sighs to himself and says "Why did I let you tag along again…?"

Following that, Agate clears his throat and explains why he was in Celdic today, as well as why Fie and Angelica were with him and who they were...

Now that Claire was caught up, she smiles and says "Well, I think it's admirable that you two want to learn other trades. I haven't known Agate for very long, but I can still assure you that he is a wealth of practical knowledge." After that, she says "But truth be told, I was doing my own investigation on that damaged market stall. Would you mind if I joined you?"

Agate simply nods and says "I always welcome more help, so feel free."

With this, the group goes to check out the market stall, hoping to find some more clues. But while they were searching, an elderly woman notices them, so she approaches. Once she gets closer, she says "Ahh, are you all looking for the ruffians that destroyed this stall…?"

In response to that, Agate slowly stands up and says "That's right. You didn't see anything, did you miss?"

The woman nods and says "I sure did… Last night, I saw some suspicious looking guy in combat armor leaving town in a hurry. I usually sit outside during the day, and I never saw him around town…"

With that information, Agate nods and says "I see… Thanks for the help."

After that, the woman heads off to the nearby cafe, while the group goes to mull on this particular piece of information.

Claire begins, saying "I've heard whispers of suspicious individuals around the town recently, so I think we should follow this lead. I have a feeling that this is related to the other issue I told you about Agate, but I'm not certain..."

Agate narrows his eyes, but Fie just nods and says "Any good spots to hide out? Preferably abandoned ones?"

Claire scratches his chin in response, before saying "I believe the old lighthouse up the road is no longer in use. That might be a good place to check."

Agate nods as well and says "Well then let's get a move on. Although let me make a call first before we leave…" The others watch in confusion, as Agate calls someone, although none of them knew who he was calling.

 _But with that, the group leaves Celdic and heads toward the abandoned lighthouse down, not entirely sure who they'd run into…_

Once they get close, Fie notices a few guys in combat armor hanging around the outside of the lighthouse, so she stops the others while saying "Those guys look like Jaegers to me…"

Claire narrows her gaze upon hearing that, and says "Jaegers? If that's the case, then I have a better idea on who vandalized that market stall. You guys should leave this to me and Agate. Students shouldn't get involved here, especially if the same man is still there…"

Agate nods and says "I've gotta agree with Captain Claire here. Normal Bracer jobs wouldn't have you dealing with these types…"

Angelica shakes her head in response and says "No way! I know I can handle at least a Jaeger or two…"

Fie nods and says "Those guys don't look too tough to me. They're probably still training to be full-fledged Jaegers…"

Claire sighs in response, before finally saying "Well, as long as you leave the heavy lifting to myself and Agate, you guys can come along…"

With that decided, the group approaches the two Jaegers standing outside the lighthouse, before Agate pulls out his blade and says "I take it one of you destroyed the market stall? I'm here on a request for compensation…"

The Jaegers look at each other briefly, before one grumbles and turns to the other and says "Why'd you need to mess up that stall? Now we've got extra attention on us…"

The other Jaeger just rolls his eyes and says "What? That guy wouldn't give me a discount, so I taught him a lesson!"

But the first Jaeger laughs and says "Yeah, you sure showed him by messing up his stall in the dead of night…"

In response to all of that, Claire brandishes her orbal pistol and says "I will take this as an admission of guilt. As a captain of the RNP, I shall take you into custody now!"

Angelica nods and assumes a combat stance, while saying "You guys picked the wrong day to mess around, now that I'm here!"

Fie whips out her twin gunswords while saying "How dumb are you if you left this obvious of a trail…?"

Agate then prepares for combat while saying "Don't underestimate them just because we outnumber them! Got it?"

Angelica and Fie nod before the group charges to battle the two Jaegers. The fight was not incredibly challenging, as those Jaegers seemed to be surprisingly inexperienced, so Agate and the gang manage to take them down relatively quickly.

 _But while Claire moved to apprehend the two Jaegers, they all heard a young woman proudly laugh, forcing them all to ready themselves for whoever that was..._

When the group looks in the direction of the laughter, a young woman in light-bronze plate armor begins to walk closer, while saying "You guys are less than worthless! Why am I stuck teaching you losers again?"

One of the Jaegers starts to crawl backward while saying "It wasn't our fault!" The other Jaeger nods and says "Yeah! We were outnumbered…"

The woman shakes her head and says "Nonsense! If you were real warriors, then you'd have at least beaten one or two of them before losing…"

Agate and Claire instantly notice the change in presence between this woman and the two Jaegers, so Agate asks "And who are you? We've really just got business with those Jaegers…"

The woman smirks and says "The name's Duvalie! And I'm stuck training these worthless losers, so I've gotta step in…" But then she pauses and looks around, before stomping her foot and yelling "And do I have to do all the work around here?"

Suddenly, another man dressed in a black suits approaches while smoking a cigarette, and saying "I was just havin' a smoke break…"

Duvalie grumbles to herself and says "You laze around all the time Walter!"

Agate starts to back away nervously while muttering "This just got way worse…" He then turns to Angelica and Fie and says "You guys should seriously consider runnin'. These guys are way above your fighting grade…"

But then, Walter notices Agate, before saying "Oh, you're one of the Bracer punks. You look like you're doin' well… And I see the Captain is back too…"

Claire glares at Walter and just says "I won't have you toy with me again…"

Walter just smiles casually, but then he peers over at Angelica, before smirking and saying "Hey kid… You practice Taito, don't you… Who taught you?"

Angelica shakes her head and says "I'm not telling a creep like you!"

Walter shrugs in response and says "Well whatever… You'll change your tune after I knock some respect into you, punk…"

But then Duvalie adds, saying "If that's the case, then I should warn ya that I'm a head knight with Ouroboros! I hope you guys aren't pushovers, because I've been bored to tears here…"

Following that, Agate prepares himself while saying "Looks like we're gonna be stuck with this fight… Me and Claire will take the lead, so you two just be careful, okay? I wasn't expecting to deal with a pair of Ouroboros guys…"

 _After that, another tough fight begins for Agate's group, one which would test Angelica and Fie to their limits..._

 **Notes:**

 **Hope you liked the chapter! The main reason why Duvalie is showing up now is because I just reached the point where she shows up in Cold Steel 2. She fits into my general plan though, so it'll work out.**

 **And thanks to the folks who submitted reviews last time!**


	16. Chapter 16

This was a challenging fight for everyone involved. Agate had improved since his experience dealing with the Society last time, to the point where he could face off against someone like Walter evenly, but having to cover to two less experienced fighters took a toll on him. And Claire was in the same boat, especially since her fighting style was more focused on staying at a distance, as Walter and Duvalie could easily remain up-close.

For the few moments where Angelica and Walter would directly clash, she would realize just how wide the gap was between her and a true master of Taito. But it also was a source of inspiration, since she could concretely see what a Taito master fought like.

Fie, on the other hand, was more used to watching more experienced individuals fight, since many of the elite members of Zephyr, her old Jaeger corp, treated her like their kid back in the day. But it another thing entirely for her to actually fight against monsters like Walter and Duvalie, especially since they rarely gave her time to plan out her attacks.

The battle drags on for about a half an hour, with both sides becoming somewhat fatigued, although Fie and Angelica were far more drained than the others.

Right when the fighting seemed to have reached a lull moment, Walter lights a cigarette and says "Not that this hasn't been fun, but do ya think you could just leave?" He then grins and says "I'm willing to leave this as a draw for now…"

Claire steps back but shakes her head while saying "Those Jaegers vandalized the Celdic market stall. I cannot let that pass…"

Walter then shrugs and says "Well, I've gotta respect your sense of duty, if nothing else…"

But then Duvalie starts to laugh while adding "Despite that, how do you hope to win with your dead weight?"

Agate just dusts himself off while saying "You guys are showin' your fatigue too. I'd say this fight could still go either way…"

Right before they could go for another round, they all hear someone yawn loudly, before walking up toward Duvalie and Walter.

This mystery man yawn again while saying "You guys are still going at it? Are they actually strong?"

Duvalie glares at him and yells "Oh so now you show up, McBurn! What were you doing?"

This 'McBurn' just shrugs and says "Being bored I guess?"

But then Walter takes another drag of his cigarette before saying "Yo McBurn… To answer your question, two of them are pretty tough, but you'd probably still be bored…"

Upon hearing that, McBurn sighs to himself as he says "Well that's a bummer…"

In response to this, Duvalie starts to tap her foot in frustration, while saying "Now that you bothered to show up, will you help out…?"

McBurn just sighs and says "Do you really need my help…?"

Walter smiles in response and says "I could go either way really. I've been havin' a good time…"

After that, McBurn shrugs and says "I'd might as well get this over with so I can go back to being bored…"

With that, McBurn begins to focus and prepares for combat, causing both Agate and Claire to back away slowly. Agate then grips his blade a bit tighter, while saying "Holy crap… This guy has a scarier vibe than even that bastard, Loewe. I'm not liking our chances now, Claire…"

Claire frowns in response while saying "I don't know who this Loewe is, but it's clear that this guy is way tougher than the other two…"

But McBurn lazily smiles in response to that, while saying "Oh yeah… I heard you fought against Loewe a few years ago, right? Even though he never seriously fought me, I was probably tougher…"

In response to that, Agate turns to Fie and Angelica and says "Things are lookin' pretty bad. I'm repeating myself now, but this time I really mean it; if you get the chance, run without lookin' back."

Angelica shakes her head and says "No way! We're sticking this through. I'm sure it will all work out…"

Fie nods and says "Not like we'll actually be able to run anyway. They're not gonna let us…"

Agate then sighs and says "You're probably right… Either way, I'm goin' down swinging!"

With that, McBurn closes his eyes for a moment, before summoning a dark flame-like aura around him, before yelling " _Hellhound!_ " After yelling this he launches two balls of flame, which turn into dog-like creatures, which crash into Agate's group in an impressively large inferno.

That single attack was enough to bring their group to their knees, as McBurn sighs and says "Just what I expected…"

Agate grabs his sword while down on his knee while grumbling and saying "That was insane…"

Claire breathes heavily while mumbling "How can someone be this strong on their own…?"

 _McBurn, Walter, and Duvalie start to walk closer, ready to finish this encounter. But before they could reach them, several otherworldly spears sprang up from the earth between both parties, forcing the Ouroboros group to jump away in confusion..._

Everyone suddenly looked up, to see Kevin Graham and Rean standing up on top of the lighthouse before Sara suddenly jumps down and forces the Ouroboros guys to back away further.

While everyone was staring at them, Rean sighs and says "I'm happy we made it in time, but why did we need to climb up here first?"

Kevin merely winks and says "Half the fun is making a grand entrance! See how cool we look…?"

They then jump down to join Sara in backing up the others, as she says "You should listen to Kevin more… You'll wow all the ladies with entrances like these…"

Rean just frowns and says "I don't think you should be telling me this, of all people…"

But then Agate starts to slowly stand up, along with Claire, as he says "Man am I glad you made it when you did. Things were lookin' pretty bad…"

Claire smiles and says "Agate, was this what you called about?"

He nods and says "Yeah, after what you said, I just had a gut feeling. I've learned to act on hunches like those…"

Then, Rean looks back at Fie and Angelica, and says "Are you guys okay…?"

They both nod, as Fie says "Things were a bit dicey…"

And Angelica adds, saying "But thanks for the save, Rean!"

After that, Kevin brandishes his crossbow and says "Rean, you take the sword girl. Even though she's with Ouroboros, you'll be able to fight evenly if you make use of your Stigma. Can you handle it?"

That 'sword girl' suddenly steps back, before her eyes narrow furiously as she shouts "Who the hell are you calling a 'sword girl'? I'm Duvalie the Swift, head knight to the illustriously amazing Steel Maiden!"

Rean takes a deep breath, before saying "I'll do it. I'll use it without losing control of myself…"

Up hearing that, Duvalie grumbles to herself and mutters "Oh yeah, keep on ignoring me… Who do they think they are…?"

Kevin, continuing to ignore the still angered swordswoman, grins and says "That's the spirit Rean!" But then he looks toward McBurn, who was staring at him curiously, before muttering "Guess I know who I'm fighting…"

McBurn then begins to approach Kevin, while saying "You a priest? Those spears looked pretty fancy…"

Kevin smirks in response and says "Yeah somethin' like that… Your flames looked pretty strange yourself. That wasn't an orbment, was it…"

McBurn shakes his head and says "Nope. And it ain't a Stigma either. I don't really know what it is. But I don't really care. All I know is that I can use it pretty effectively…" He then summons the flames again, before saying "Allow me to fully introduce myself this time. I'm McBurn, Enforcer No. I, but some people call me the Almighty Conflagration…"

Kevin then glares, while activating his Stigma, as he says "That sounds pretty heretical to me. The name's Kevin Graham, Fifth Dominion of the Gralsritter, formerly known as the Heretic Hunter. Consider this your final judgment…"

 _With their introductions concluded, they begin their clash, while Rean prepared himself to face off against Duvalie…_

Duvalie glares at Rean while saying "That priest has some nerve, thinking that some student can face off, or even defeat me… If you give up now, I might just let you run away…" She then smiles at Rean, but he just unsheathes his blade, angering her yet again, as she yells "Fine! Be a stupid kid! I'm not above beating down some overconfident brat!"

As he readies himself for combat, he says "As long as my friends are in danger here, I won't back down. I'll fight you with all I have!" Following that, he looks deep within himself, while uttering a silent prayer to Aidios, summoning his Stigma, providing him with a surge of power.

She notices this instant, as he lets out a loud roar, while she mutters "Wait, he's just a student…"

Rean then closes his eyes while saying "I am Rean Schwarzer, intermediate level of the Eight Leaves One Blade sword school… Prepare yourself!" He then lunges at Duvalie, as their own battle begins.

Even though Duvalie had more fighting experience, as she had regularly fought against Loewe the Sword Emperor in the past, Rean was able to keep up with her through the power of his Stigma. No matter what she tried, she couldn't overpower or outmaneuver the young Eight Leaves practitioner, which only frustrated her even further.

Rean, on the other hand, was amazed that he could keep up with this woman, especially after learning that she was a member of Ouroboros. Really, it meant that his Stigma was incredibly potent, and even more effective while he had full control. But he was brutally aware of his five-minute time limit, which forced him to push himself to his limits, in the hopes of defeating Duvalie before he'd lose control.

But by combining the raw power of his Stigma and his training with the Eight Leaves, Rean gradually pushed Duvalie back until gaining an advantage, shocking her as a result. Even though at this point he was holding the advantage, he knew that he couldn't let up, because his opponent would expertly capitalize on whatever chance she could get.

 _While this was happening, Sara and Walter were having a tough match of their own…_

They take a moment to slow down, while Walter grins and says "I've heard that the Purple Lightning was fast, but damn is this crazy. Talk about getting your blood pumping…"

Sara just winks and says "Don't act all modest, Direwolf. I've heard enough stories from other Bracers to hear that you're insanely skilled, especially with your Taito…"

Upon hearing that, Walter raises an eyebrow and asks "Really… _Which Bracers…?_ "

Sara quietly laughs to herself and says "Sorry. That's my secret…"

 _Walter then shrugs, before the two of them get back to fighting, with neither of them backing down…_

While the battle raged on, it soon became clear both sides were evenly matched, inspiring McBurn to say "Why don't we stop here? It'll be a pain if we garner any additional attention…"

Walter grumbles to himself and says "We'll probably need a new hideout too…"

But then, out of nowhere, a new voice haughtily laughs, while saying "Ha _ha_! Allow me to assist, my friends…"

Agate suddenly looks up, still exhausted, and curses to himself and mutters "Oh great… Now we need to deal with that nut on top of everything else…?"

Rean deactivates his Stigma as Duvalie steps away, while he also looks up and says "Wait, Baron Bleublanc, I mean, Phantom Thief B?"

Bleublanc smiles back and says "Why hello Rean Schwarzer… I see you've mastered that wild power within you. What a sight of beauty that was…" But then, he snaps his finger, causing rose petals to circle around the Ouroboros members and the knocked out Jaegers, as he says "This was quite the show, but I'm afraid we cannot spoil just everything, as the main event is still to come. Do look forward to it…"

 _Following that, the Ouroboros members vanish, prompting Kevin to deactivate his Stigma, forcing him to sit down to take a breather, while Sara and Rean help out the others. And once everyone seemed to be rested enough to move around, they all make the walk back to Celdic together, glad that this crazy fight could now be put behind them for now..._

 **Author's Notes:**

This is the end of the Battle at the Big Lighthouse. We'll get some debriefs and reactions from characters next time. Hope these two chapters were enjoyable.

Thanks again for the reviews on the last chapter. I'm trying to be more brief with responding to reviews, but I'll still give a few general responses now, at least because this stuff wouldn't be addressed anywhere in the story proper.

1) Weissmann will have a role in this story, since he made an appearance back in Ch 4, but his full role will be kept under wraps until I get to that point. I'll keep his portrayal as accurate to his canon character as I can manage, like how I do for everyone else. And if they stray from that, it's more accidental than anything else.

2) Since McBurn made his appearance now, I'll address his whole power thing going forward. I'm aware that in canon Rean and McBurn have similar abilities, to an extent, although I don't know how similar they get since I'm still early in Act 2 in my playthrough. But for this story, Rean's power will overtly be a Stigma while McBurn's will be more vague. I wanted to make it clear regardless in this story that McBurn's power is something entirely different from a Stigma.

3) I also really like Walter, and I hope he appears again at some point in the series.

That's about it, so thanks again for reading!

 **I had to reupload this because there was an issue I missed the first time around. Sorry for the confusion!**


	17. Chapter 17

_The walk back to Celdic was somewhat slow, since more than a few people were exhausted from their clash with Ouroboros..._

As they walked, Captain Claire turns to Agate and says "You fought those people before…? They all seem insanely strong."

Agate nods and says "Yep and they're all nut jobs. We never had to deal with that McBurn guy or the girl with the sword though…"

Kevin sighs once McBurn was brought up, as he says "I'm pretty good at picking out serious heresy, and that guy's triggering all of my alarms…" Then he pauses and adds, saying "And I was really pushing myself during that fight, and I'm not sure if he was even trying. We'll need to stay wary of him."

While they continued to walk, Sara turns to Fie and says "How are you holding up? It's been awhile since you've had to fight somebody above your paygrade."

Fie nods and says "You have a good point. But I'll be fine. Those guys were probably just as strong as the elites from Zephyr."

Angelica, who was currently leaning on Rean's shoulder, nods too and says "You guys really came at the right time. I wasn't sure how long we'd last against them. Especially with that Walter guy. He's probably just as strong as my master…"

When Rean hears that, he turns and says "Who is your master, Angelica?"

She just smirks and says "Can't say! A girl needs to keep a few secrets…"

Rean sighs when he hears that, as he says "Why did I expect a real answer from you…?"

After that, Fie looks over and says "Rean, what was that ability you used? Is it related to what happened during Group A's field study in Legram?"

Rean takes a deep breath and says "Exactly. I can't exactly say what this power is, but now I'm getting the hang of it, so I can keep it under control for brief periods of time. The downside is that it leaves me a bit drained, so I wouldn't be of much use if we had to go into another fight without a chance to rest."

Fie nods in response and says "Well, we'll have your back if that happens."

And after a few minutes of walking, they make it back to Celdic and stop at the inn to take a breather…

 **Same Time, Garrelia Fortress**

 _Now that Olivert finally reached his next destination, he quickly meets with the soldiers, as they lead him to Lt. General Craig's office…_

When Craig sees Olivert, he respectfully bows and says "What a wonderful surprise! Greetings Your Highness. What can I do for you today?" Then he turns to Mueller, and says "And it's always great to see you, Major Vander! If I knew about your visit ahead of time, I would have told Neithardt…"

Olivert quietly laughs and says "I must apologize about the sudden visit, Lt. General… But this visit is a matter of great importance to me. I must request that you do not share the contents of this visit…"

When Craig realizes the significance of Olivert's visit today, he narrows his gaze and nods, before saying "I understand, Prince Olivert."

 _Following that, Olivert passes Craig the dossier on Chancellor Osborne, the ILF, and Ouroboros. He takes some time to read through it, wanting to properly absorb the material before speaking about it..._

And once he read enough, he puts down the folder, before looking up at Olivert and saying "Can you confirm that the information here is accurate, Prince Olivert?"

Olivert nods and says "I was in Liberl during the Orbal Shutdown Phenomenon, so I can personally attest to his attempt to invade the country with his steam tanks. It was clear to me that he was provided information by Ouroboros."

Craig then begins to scratch at his light orange beard, while saying "What about your information regarding the ILF and the chancellor?"

Olivert sighs in response and says "Unfortunately, I cannot reveal my source for that, at least right now. They are high up in the ILF though, and they have access to all of their financial records."

With that information, Craig says "If this is true, then do you know why he would fund a terrorist group and potentially aid the nobles?"

Olivert thinks for a moment, before saying "This is mainly a guess based on what I've seen, but I believe that Osborne wishes to paint himself as a champion of justice and the nobles as mad tyrants. If word got out that the primary benefactors of the ILF were the nobles, then the common people would surely move to support Osborne. And it would be highly unlikely that his ties to the ILF would be revealed to the general public."

Then, Craig sighs and says "Prince Olivert, you realize that if I choose to support you, I would be committing high treason. I am unsure if I can go along with your plan…"

Surprisingly, Olivert smiles and says "I disagree, Lt. General. Could you not say that Chancellor Osborne is committing treason himself, based on the fact that he collaborated with Ouroboros and funded the ILF for his own gain?"

Craig's eyes widen when he hears that, as he says "You…" He then clears his throat and continues, saying "You make a valid point, Your Highness. Challenging Osborne would be a serious challenge. Have you gathered any other allies for this potential conflict?"

Olivert nods and says "Why yes I have… Lt. General Zechs has agreed to work with me. I also met with both General Le Guin and Brigadier General Bardias, and they both have agreed to join with me. I would like to gather an equal number of officers from both the Imperial Army and the Noble Faction. What do you say?"

Craig takes a moment to ponder this in silence, before meeting the prince's eyes and saying "I've had my worries about our unrelenting expansionist policy, but after seeing what you've presented and hearing your words on it, I believe I should take a stand. How else could I face my Fiona or Elliot, after everything that I know now?"

When Olivert hears this, he laughs and says "I understand your sentiment! I would like to act in a way so that Alfin and Cedric would be proud."

 _But now that his allegiance was confirmed, Olivert and Mueller take their leave, and fly out toward Calvard to pick up one final ally…_

 **One hour later...**

 _By this point, Kevin's group finished resting from their difficult battle, so they all planned on moving on for the day…_

Claire sees them off, while saying "I need to return to the RMP garrison. I appreciate the assistance, Sara and Kevin. And you did well Rean."

Then, Agate nods and says "Well, I've gotta report to the market manager, now that the job is finished up. I'll see you guys back in Trista."

Since Angelica and Fie were still exhausted from their conflict with Ouroboros, they return to Trista with Kevin, Sara, and Rean. The train ride was pretty quiet, mainly because everyone present were too drained to converse, besides Kevin and Sara.

While they were sitting, Sara speaks up first, saying "So what's your take on this? Ouroboros sure has a ton of their heavy hitters stationed in Erebonia."

Kevin scratches his chin and says "It's clear to me that they're getting ready to attack Thors. The Old School House surely holds some sort of secret, so I hope Class VII can finish up their trial before things get bad."

Sara sighs in response and says "I've got a feeling that they're almost finished. Their next visit might be the last one."

Kevin then nods, before saying "I feel the same way. Unfortunately, you can rarely hurry up things when an artifact is involved, so we'll just need to pray to Aidios…"

Following that, the two of them decide to get some rest themselves, since they rushed over to Celdic to help out in the first place.

 **Four Hours Later…**

Olivert had finally arrived at a small and insignificant field on the border of Erebonia and Calvard. Waiting for him was Zin, the A-rank Bracer and Taito master.

When he sees the prince, he approaches and waves, while saying "It's been a long time, Olivert! I've heard that things have gotten highly tense in Erebonia as of late."

Olivert smiles and replies, before saying "It's good to see you too, Zin." Then he sighs and adds "I wish I could deny it, but you've heard right. I've been running myself ragged for months trying to prepare."

In response to that, Mueller walks out and frowns, while saying "I don't think you get to complain after your extended vacation in Liberl…" Then he turns to Zin and says "It seems like you've been well… Good."

Zin proceeds to laugh while saying "You haven't changed a bit, Mueller…"

 _Following that positive and brief reunion, the group board the Courageous to return to the capital..._

 ** _And a few days later, Class VII were finally ready to depart for their last field study…_**

 **AN**

I just want to make a brief note about the user Camperor. I don't dislike him for his reviews on this story, but I do not like at all how he reviews stories he doesn't like and treats those authors. I also just can't stand how many people review now just to inform me that Camperor is bad. So I'm blocking him and keeping guest reviews moderated. If you want to leave a review about your opinions on the guy, then don't. I'm not interested.

Any reviews that are actually about the story are more than welcome though!


	18. Chapter 18

_The Roer field study turned out to be quite exciting for Rean's, since they had another clash with the ILF. And while Crow did feel bad about lying to his friends about his position in the ILF, he knew that it would be better to keep his involvement hidden from them._

 _Crow was successful in faking their deaths, though none of the other ILF members knew that Crow no longer planned on assassinating the chancellor. That would surely cause problems for the various factions using them for their own ambitions, but he was only concerned with supporting Olivert now, since it could potentially lead to Osborne's downfall._

 _And in the aftermath of the Roer incident, Olivert flies out to meet with Marquis Gerhart Rogner, hoping to secure one final ally for his eventual clash with Chancellor Osborne…_

Despite Prince Olivert's role in stopping the Noble Faction's ploy in Roer, he was welcomed graciously to the Marquis' estate, as Vander and Zin followed close behind…

Once they were before the Marquis, he bows and says "Before anything else, I must personally apologize to you for my role in the Sachsen Iron Mine incident. I am most grateful that you intervened when you did, Your Highness…"

When Olivert hears that, he smiles and says "I take no offense, Marquis. But it sounds to me that you weren't as aligned to the Noble Faction's goal as one might think…"

That statement caused Marquis Rogner to sigh and say "I cannot deny that, Your Highness. I may dislike Chancellor Osborne as much as the other leaders of the Four Great Houses, but I equally disapprove of how they behave as stewards of their provinces. As a noble, I believe that we should lead by example, and to ensure that all people in our provinces thrive."

Olivert then laughs to himself and says "Your viewpoint is quite progressive for our nation, but I agree entirely. What would you say if you learned that I oppose Chancellor Osborne just as much as you…?"

Marquis Rogner's eyes widen as he says "What? If you feel that way, then you should lead the Noble Alliance yourself! I would much rather follow one of the royal family rather than that pompous Cayenne…"

Surprisingly, Olivert smirks and says "While I appreciate your excitement, I would rather not support Osborne or the Noble Faction, for neither are without serious faults. I envision a third faction that could challenge both and allow Erebonia to truly become a noble and beautiful nation…"

When Marquis Rogner hears that, he folds his arms and says "A third faction? If you plan on leading it, then you can consider myself curious at least. Is this the reason for your visit, Your Highness?"

Olivert nods and says "Precisely. I have already gathered a few generals previously loyal to both the Noble Faction and the Imperial Army. Specifically, Aurelia Le Guin, Wallace Bardias, Olaf Craig, and Zechs Vander."

After that, Marquis Rogner scratches his chin and says "Impressive… No matter which politicians or nobles join either side, the military officers are who decide a conflict. Count me in, Your Highness!"

In response to that, Olivert takes a step back and says "W… what? So easily…?"

Marquis Rogner nods and says "Of course! Why wouldn't I choose to work with you over Cayenne or Albarea?"

Now that his task was finished far swifter than he pictured, Olivert sighs and says "I was expecting to work a bit harder for this.. I even prepared to challenge you to a duel, with the help of my champion Zin here, to really up the tension…"

Vander, barely hiding his annoyance, shakes his head and says "And this is why you have a reputation as a fool, Your Highness. Consider disregarding 'tension' in your decision making from now on."

Marquis Rogner just laughs and says "I could never do that to one of the royal family…"

And when Zin hears of his supposed role in this, he smiles and says "That would have been an interesting duel. You look to be quite skilled in combat, sir Rogner, and I would have enjoyed testing my Taito against you."

When Marquis Rogner hears that though, he raises an eyebrow and says "Taito…? My tough-as-nails daughter practices that too. I wish she went to me for training, but I'm happy regardless if she can get as strong as me one day."

Then, Olivert says "Speaking of Angelica, I heard that you forced her to resign from Thors due to her involvement in the Sachsen Iron Mine incident…"

Marquis Rogner grumbles in response to that and says "My hands were unfortunately tied. If I left her unpunished, then I would look disloyal to the Noble Faction cause, and I would rather not inspire the other family heads to take action against the Nortia Province. I might be able to get her re-enrolled in a week or so, so there is no need to worry about her. No matter what, I am proud of her for putting my soldiers in their place, though I'll need to put them through much harsher training so they won't be so easy to push around…"

 ** _Now that Olivert accomplished his final objective in preparing for the inevitable clash between the Noble Faction and Chancellor Osborne, he boards his ship to return to Trista, hoping that his plans there would be enough for whenever Ouroboros makes their move…_**

* * *

A few more days go by, as various people across Erebonia quickly traveled to Trista, as they each followed Olivert's instructions. To his fortune, his allies were gathered just in time for when Vita Clotilde started mobilizing her forces for the Ouroboros operation, ensuring that they would not be caught off guard.

She begins briefing them, standing before them and saying "Our only objective is to discover what is in the lowest depths of Thor's Old School House." She then turns toward Gilbert Stein, a weak but eager looking man in a red jaeger armor set, and says "You will lead the jaegers to assault Trista. I expect results, understood?"

Gilbert extravagantly salutes and says "Of course! The town will fall before my power and skill!"

As he leads the jaegers away, Vita sighs and turns to Duvalie and says "Please keep an eye on him… I'd rather the townspeople not be dragged into this and he can be a bit too eager for my liking…"

Duvalie grumbles though while saying "After all of this, I need to play babysitter for that loser…?" Then she sighs and says "Yes ma'am… But if he screws up, I'll punch him in the face…"

As she stomps off and leaves, Walter lights a cigarette and laughs while saying "This'll be pretty interesting. Hopefully some of their instructors will be challenging to fight against…"

Bleublanc nods and says "Ha _ha_! Quite right, my friend!" He then brushes his hand against his hair, while adding "My most worthy rival, Prince Olivert, resides in this country, so I would be overjoyed to see him again…"

McBurn just yawns and says "I can't say I'm all that excited… Can I sit this out and take a nap?"

Vita shakes her head and says "I'd rather you come along, if only in case someone arrives who was outside of our expectations.

McBurn then nods and says "Alright… Let's get this over with."

 ** _With that, Vita and her Ouroboros followers went out to begin their operation in Trista and Thors..._**

* * *

 ** _While that was happening, many individuals on Olivert's side finally arrived in Trista. Estelle, Joshua, and Renne were meeting with Agate, Tita, and Kevin in Kirsche's Cafe…_**

With this reunion, Estelle finishes her sandwich and grins, before saying "I'm so happy to see you guys again!"

Tita then goes to give Renne a hug while saying "It's so great to see you again, Renne! I missed you a whole lot…"

Renne smirks and says "I'll admit that out of everyone in this whole group, I did miss seeing you as well, Tita." But when a few people started staring at her, she glares with embarrassment and says "What's so fascinating?! Stop looking at me!"

Joshua nods and says, trying to change the subject "I'm glad we can meet up again as well. I wouldn't have imagined that we would meet up in Erebonia though..."

Agate sighs and says "I get what you mean. Bracers aren't as common around here. And Bracers from Liberl? That's even worse."

Surprisingly, Toval walks up at this point and says "It ain't from a lack of trying… But having a whole gang of Bracers around makes me feel a whole lot better… I'm Toval by the way, since I see some new faces. I'm a local Bracer."

Tita smiles in response and says "I'm Tita! I'm planning on studying orbal engineering at Thors. And I'm friends with everybody here!"

Kevin then grins and says "I'm Kevin Graham! Traveling priest and a new instructor here at Thors. Pleased to meet'cha."

While they continued to chat, Sara barges in with a mug of booze in her hand, while saying "I've never seen Trista so filled with Bracers! I'm Sara Velestein. I used to be a Bracer, but now I teach at Thors."

When Estelle notices the mug of alcohol, she smiles and says "Hey! I'm Estelle Bright! And I'll bet you'd get along great with Schera!"

Sara nods and says "I've heard that the Silver Streak is another gal who has respect for the art of drinking heavily."

And as they continued to talk, Richard walks in and says "Hello everyone. I'm happy to see that your travels were smooth, Estelle, Joshua, and Renne."

Estelle waves to him in response and says "Hey Colonel Richard! How have you been?"

Joshua quickly corrects her and whispers, says "Estelle… He isn't a colonel anymore, remember…?"

She just laughs and says "Oh yeah… My bad!"

Richard merely shakes his head casually and says "I've resigned myself to be forever referred to mistakenly as a colonel. But Prince Olivert requested that I act as an instructor at Thors as well, and it has been enjoyable."

Now that everyone seemed to be present, they continue to chat and eat together, until Sara gets a call on her ARCUS unit from Principal Vandyck.

He clears his throat and says " _I apologize for interrupting what must be a phenomenal reunion for all of you, but I've received a report from Captain Claire of suspicious activity outside of Trista. She should arrive in a few minutes, and a force from the RMP will be mobilized in about an hour. Please ready yourselves, because she has reason to believe that this is Ouroboros making their move._ "

 _With that information, they all prepare themselves for a difficult night of fighting, as Sara rushes to the Class VII dorm to alert them and Sharon, and then Crow, Towa, Angelica, and George, of the current situation..._

 **Notes:**

With this, we're moving into the final part of this whole arc. I hope you all enjoy what I have planned with it. It might get a bit crazy, but I think parts of the game canon will back it up, at least as a distant possibility.

Also, thanks for the recent review JohnJoestar17! I'll always appreciate feedback from readers.


	19. Chapter 19

_Once Class VII were informed of this emergency, they decide to head into town to assist with the defense efforts. Rean, on the other hand, goes with Crow up to the academy to help out there..._

When the other members of Class VII arrived in the town square, they see Estelle, Ries, and Agate organizing and having the townspeople hide in their homes. At the same time, Claire runs up from the highway and says "I hope I am not too late! Did the enemy arrive yet?"

Ries shakes her head and says "Not yet! We still have time."

Then, Emma looks over at Tita and says "You should take shelter, Tita. This place will become far too dangerous for a child…"

Tita giggles and pulls out an oversized Orbal cannon while saying "I'll be just fine!"

When Alisa sees that, she gasps and says "That cannon looks more advanced than the ones the Reinford Company puts on their newest tank models. That's incredible Tita!"

Tita just blushes and laughs, while Renne looks over and smirks, before saying "I see you've improved it yet again. Impressive…"

But when Jusis sees Renne, he glares at her and says "You were the kid with Estelle and Joshua, correct? You should run along too. This is no place for children."

Surprisingly, Millium tugs on Jusis' sleeve and says "I don't think it's a good idea to say that to _her_ …"

Renne then quietly laughs, while saying "Oh how I envy your supreme ignorance…" Then she unsheathed her scythe and grins, as she says "I have the most combat experience out of everyone else present..."

Agate nods and says "She ain't won't need to worry about her…"

Right as they finished preparing, Gilbert strides forward with a large group of jaegers, before smugly laughing and saying "What a quaint little town… Let's get to work!"

However, when Estelle sees that Gilbert was the one leading the attack, she sighs and says "Oh perfect… We get to deal with _Gilbert_. At least I can beat him up with my staff…"

When Gilbert hears her voice, he has a moment of panic, before collecting himself and saying "I am far stronger than before, Estelle Bright! I'll defeat you and prove just how amazing I am!"

Then, Renne starts to laugh while saying "Yay! Gilbert's here! Will you cry if I slice off your arm…?"

Gilbert then takes a step back in pure terror, as he stammers "L… lady Renne?"

Duvalie watches from behind the jaegers and mumbles to herself, saying "So Renne really did betray us? At least I'll have someone worthy to challenge…"

Renne just giggles as Tita sighs and says "You should try to be less mean, Renne…"

Renne only smiles and says "Oh I've gotten much better with that. I just can't help teasing wimpy Gilbert…"

Then, Gilbert takes a deep breath before yelling "I'll prove to all of you that I've surpassed my previous self!"

Surprisingly, Duvalie loudly groans from the back of the crowd, and says "Can you just shut up and get this over with? I'm not thrilled with needing to babysit you…"

Gilbert then steps back and yells "What?" He then nervously frowns, before meekly shouting "Charge!"

 _With that, the Ouroboros backed jaegers went in to fight, as the Trista defenders met them valiantly…_

 **Same Time, Student Council Room**

By now, the academy was put on lockdown, as Olivert's allies and the instructors moved to patrol for Ouroboros activity. At the moment, Angelica was assisting Towa with some student council work, as Walter casually enters the room.

Angelica immediately goes on guard, but Walter just waves his hand and says "I'm just here to make sure you students don't get any wild ideas. From what I was told, the student council would be the first ones to organize the students into a resistance, so I'm just gonna keep an eye on ya. It's a bit boring, but it's easy at least…"

When she hears that, she glares and says "And let you keep my precious Towa trapped in here on a perfect night to have fun? No way!"

Towa weakly smiles in response and says "But I'll be here all night doing work anyway…"

Angelica didn't seem to pay much attention to Towa's valid point, as she was too heated up to back down now.

Walter shakes his head though and says "What do you think you can do, kid? You're decent with Taito, I'll admit, but you've got a long road before you can take on a master. Just take a nap, or whatever you brats do…"

Angelica assumes a fighting stance and says "I'm not backing down when I've got my Towa behind me!"

Towa then pulls out an Orbal pistol and says "I can't let you stop me either! As student council president, it's my duty to protect the academy from invaders like you…"

Walter then sighs and cracks his knuckles while saying "You've both got guys at least. I'll give you a good lesson on backing down when you should…"

 _Following that, Angelica and Towa's difficult began…_

 **Same Time, Academy Front Gate**

Rean and Crow were running back to the academy, hoping to be of use, when a jovial cackle forced them to stop.

Suddenly, Bleublanc appears before them while saying "Why good evening, Rean and Crow…"

Rean glares at the extravagant enforcer and says "I'm not sure what you guys want with Thors, but we'll stop you here and now! Right Crow?"

Crow smirks and says "Hell yeah, Rean! Let's show 'im how Class VII rolls…"

Bleublanc just smiles and says "Ha _ha_! A young Stigma bearer and a terrorist cell leader. I look forward to the show…"

When Rean hears this, he turns to his friend and asks "What's that nutjob talking about, Crow?"

Crow glares at the masked troublemaker and says "I have no idea…"

Then, Bleublanc laughs again and says "Oh, did he not inform you Rean, even though he is now in your precious Class VII…? Then allow me to enlighten you!" He continues as Rean listened silently, while saying "Crow Armbrust leads a double life, as he also heads the ILF as the infamous Comrade C… What a shock, is it not!"

Rean looks at Crow and just says "He's making stuff up, right? That guy is a trickster and misleads us constantly, so he's gotta be lying!"

Crow solemnly sighs and says "This ain't how I wanted you to find out, but he's telling the truth." Before he could be shouted at, he quickly adds "For the record, I've been working with Prince Olivert behind the scenes, so it's not as bad as it sounds!" Then he smirks and says "I'm kinda like an undercover agent working for the good guys!"

With just explanation, Rean just stares at his friend with heavy annoyance, before saying "I expect a full explanation later, but we do need to deal with _him_ first. Let's go!"

Crow pulls out his twin Orbal pistols and says "I've got your back, buddy!"

Faced with their renewed drive, Bleublanc brandished his royal looking scepter-staff while saying "Your bonds refused to break after that revelation? How incredibly beautiful!"

 _Now, their battle could begin in earnest…_

 **Same Time, Academy Field**

Currently, McBurn was lazily walking around the open field, while sighing and saying "It's a nice looking campus… Maybe I'll just take a nap under one of those trees…"

But then his ears perk up, as he turns around to see a few Thors instructors approach him, led by Principal Vandyck.

Vandyck brandishes his weapon, a massive sharpened zhanmadao (a large sword with a spear length hilt), and says "I will not tolerate invaders on academy soil. Either leave willingly or we shall force you to, servant of Ouroboros."

McBurn just shakes his head and says "You think I'm scared of any of you? I am the strongest enforcer…"

Thomas removes his swirly spectacles and says "I understand that you gave Kevin a tough time. As Second Dominion, right hand of Carnelia herself, perhaps I might be an enjoyable opponent?"

When Sara hears that, she just sighs and says "And here I thought I was so cool for being an A-rank Bracer and former jaeger…"

Neithardt nods in agreement and says "How do you think I feel? At least you've earned a worthy epitaph, Instructor Valestein…"

Thomas then starts to jovially laugh while saying "Oh come on guys… I'm still your dear friend and comrade! My title as the Partitioner will never change that."

Sara merely sighs again and says "That's what I'm afraid of…"

After all of that, McBurn smiles and says "You guys might be tougher than I thought. Maybe I'll be able to cut loose for once…"

 _With that statement, the battle against the Almighty Conflagration finally began..._


	20. Chapter 20

_These battles were all happening around the same time, but first let's take a look at the fight between Angelica & Towa against Walter…_

Both students knew that they were not a match for Walter at their current level of experience, but that didn't mean they wouldn't try their hardest. They had their ARCUS links, which gave them a helpful boost, though neither of them were sure that their links would be enough.

Angelica takes the front, brawling with Walter as Towa supports her from the rear. She was clearly outmatched skill wise, since Walter had no issue with countering each of her Taito moves. But he was a master, so she knew she wouldn't out do him this way.

Towa though was definitely giving Walter some trouble, as her well timed shots and her variety of support arts limited his options. But after narrowly avoiding a well-timed Frost Edge, Walter grumbles to himself and says "It'll be a pain if I don't take her down first…"

He then smirks at Angelica before kicking a nearby chair at her, leaping forward while she was left distracted, prepared to take Towa down with a clean punch. When she sees him charging forward, she ducks down, but right before his fist makes contact, he stops in his tracks.

When he looks back, he sees Angelica grabbing his arm, preventing him from finishing his move. After that, he grins and effortlessly slips away, before standing in front of a desk and saying "Okay, I can admit that you two are pretty good…"

Before he could say anything else, two jaegers enter the student council room, surprising Walter as one says "We're here to help you out, boss!"

However, Walter just sits down at the desk and says "Perfect timing… I want you two to take out those students for me."

The other jaeger raises an eyebrow and says "But boss, they're just kids…"

Walter smirks in response and says "And I've got my doubts that you guys could even beat them." They both start grumbling to themselves, as he adds, saying "Wanna prove me wrong?"

With that bit of motivation, the two jaegers run at Angelica and Towa, as Walter leans back in his chair. And while they started to battle, he lights a cigarette and says "Time for a smoke break…"

Unfortunately, Walter's break only lasted a few minutes, as Angelica and Towa made short work of the jaegers. And when he sees them on the ground, he just sighs and says "Man you guys are pathetic…" Then he looks at the victors, who seemed proud but a bit winded, so he says "Props to you guys though."

Then, he flicks his cigarette away and says "You guys can go wherever you want now. I'm tired of watching over students…"

When Towa hears that, she asks "Does that mean you're leaving?!"

Walter grins in response and says "Who said anything about that? There are plenty of strong opponents here. I'll just go pick a fight with one of them…"

Angelica then turns to her dear friend and says "We can't let him leave! He might upset the balance of a different fight."

Towa nods and says "You're right! We need to do our duty for Thors!"

Walter just shakes his head and lights another cigarette, before deeply exhaling and saying "Damn kids today…"

He then assumes a new fighting stance, while summoning a heavily powerful aura. As both students stood in opposition, a gruff and deep voice echoed from down the hallway, saying "Allow me to assist!"

Walter was the first to react, as he quickly spun just in time to block a fierce punch from a hugely built Calvard man, before his eyes widen while muttering "Zin…?"

Zin repositions himself between Walter and the two students, before saying "It's been a while, hasn't it Walter…"

Angelica speaks next, saying "You're huge! I mean, who are you?"

He merely heartily laughs and says "The name's Zin. I'm an old friend of Prince Olivert. I came to do him a small favor…" Zin then assumes his fighting stance, summoning a powerful blue aura, before saying "I will be your opponent, Walter."

Walter then assumes his own stance, creating a matching red aura, before saying "Maybe we'll finally settle which is better: the killing fist or the living fist."

Zin silently nod, before only saying "...maybe…"

 _Following that, the two Taito masters charged forward, both willing to put their lives on the line for their ideals…_

 **Same Time, Academy Front Gate**

 _The battle against Bleublanc was difficult for Rean and Crow already, but all of his tricks and taunts only made things more challenging for them…_

Rean attempts to strike Bleublanc with his blade, but right before he makes contact, his opponent disappears and a white cloth replaces him. He just grumbles to himself and says "How does he keep on hiding his presence?"

Crow scratches his neck and nods, before saying "Yeah… he'd be the perfect street performer…"

Bleublanc just laughs to himself and says "Why would I do that when being an artful thief is so much more compelling…?"

They both grow silent and continue the fight, knowing that speaking to him further would only annoy and distract them. The fight drags on for a few more minutes, as Bleublanc continued to dance around them, pushing Rean to his breaking point.

He then takes a deep breath and says "Crow, I'll use my Stigma. That should give us the edge we need!"

Bleublanc smiles once he hears that, before saying "Ha _ha_! Your desperation is quite beautiful to the eye…"

Crow shakes his head and says "No way man! If you use it now, you'll be outta commission after this fight. Who knows what else we'll need to deal with?"

Bleublanc smirks in response and says "Your friend makes a valid point, Rean… But will you ignore common sense to defeat me? You two won't win as you are now…"

Rean clenches his fist, knowing that Crow was right in the end, so he says "We'll try the best we can! You'd better not hold back, Comrade C…"

Crow just sighs to himself and says "You're never letting me live that down, are ya?" Then, he cracks his knuckles and says "I might be a pro at not giving it my all, but I'll make an exception, just this once…"

They then resume the fight, using their honed skills and their ARCUS links to push back Bleublanc, who decides to take things a bit more seriously as well. He then snaps his fingers, causing Crow to disappear, before a wooden coffin appears in his place.

He then hears Crow through the coffin, yelling "Where the hell am I? Why is it so dark?"

Bleublanc then floats into the air, before raising his scepter and shouting "Now, die beautifully!" A massive sword then appeared in front of him which quickly plunged toward the coffin Crow was trapped in, prompting Rean to try one last ditch effort.

He looks at his tachi, before aiming at Bleublanc and throwing it as hard as he could. And because he was still focused on Crow, he dodged just late enough for the blade to hit the side of his mask. It wasn't a damaging blow, but it cracked his mask and was just enough to break his concentration, dispelling the illusion and freeing Crow.

Rean runs up to Crow and helps him up, while Bleublanc smiles and says "Ha _ha_! What a marvelous trick… But you've only delayed the inevitable…"

Crow sighs and says "I hate to agree with that guy, but he might be right. We'll need a miracle to get outta this one…"

However, a new, slightly less flamboyant voice suddenly calls out "A miracle, huh? Then allow me to make my entrance!"

Bleublanc looks over first, as his eyes widen while saying "That voice… My rival!" Before he could do anything, a rain of gunfire forced him back to the ground, when a swift swordsman effortlessly cleared the distance to him.

Bleublanc was immediately forced onto the defensive, as Prince Olivert and Major Vander had arrived onto the scene.

Vander quickly moved in front of Rean and Crow while saying "Are you two okay? His Highness and I will take it from here."

Prince Olivert smiles and says "I'm happy I get to clash with my rival here tonight. I shall prove that my vision of beauty is far superior to yours!"

Bleublanc smiles back and says "Ha _ha_! I too look forward to our clash…"

 _Following those somewhat odd statements, Olivert and Vander go to begin their battle against Bleublanc, giving Rean and Crow a much needed break…_

 **Same Time, Trista Town Square**

The battle between the Ouroboros-backed jaegers and the Trista town defenders was going strong, with the more experienced fighters leadings groups made out of Class VII members. Gilbert, still afraid of Estelle and Renne, stayed far in the back, while Duvalie just watched from the sidelines, not yet interested in joining the fray. While the battle was still raging however, Richard was moving from the academy to the town, understanding that he was more needed in town, since he had the most experience with dealing with Ouroboros led assaults.

 _But that is a story for next time..._

 **AN:** Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts. We're getting closer and closer to the climax of this main arc.


	21. Chapter 21

_First, let's take a look at how this battle started..._

The battle was still in its beginnings in town, as neither side seemed much progress. And Gilbert ordered them directly assault the town, though Estelle led the group to keep them back. But as this was going on, Toval adjusts his orbment while approaching the jaegers.

He then starts to cast an art, while saying "Better end this quick…"

One of the jaegers sees this and laughs, before yelling "Moron! We'll just stop you before you cast it!"

Barely a second later, Toval smirks before shouting "Not a chance! _Cross Crusade_!"

Following that, cross-shaped beam of light struck the jaegers, taking out a few as Toval says "Sorry guys, but I specialize in quick arts casting."

The jaegers start to regroup, while Duvalie sighs and says "That was some damn fast arts casting… At least the grunts aren't giving up right away."

But then, Renne begins to laugh, while approaching Toval and saying "That looked fun! I should join in too…" She proceeds to cast an art as well, causing the jaegers to back away fearfully, before she shouts "Don't die… _Death Scream_!"

Right after that, a ghostly skull rises from the ground and lets out a piercing wail, causing a few more jaegers to collapse.

When Machias sees that, he turns to the Class VII arts users and yells "What was that?"

Elliot scratches his head and says "I've never heard of an art like that…"

Alisa nods and says "Me neither…"

Jusis folds his arms and says "As loathsome as it is to admit this to you, I am also ignorant of that art."

Machias grumbles and prepares a retort, Emma cuts him off and says "I've read that certain orbments produced in Liberl can cast unique arts. That might be one of them…"

Gilbert remained stunned by that display of power, so Duvalie taps her foot in frustration before saying "Since they can cast wide reaching arts, you should have everyone split up…"

His eyes light up, before saying "Quiet! That was already my plan…"

Duvalie just narrows her eyes with annoyance, before saying "You know, Vita wouldn't care if you came back with a few broken bones…" She pauses to let the fear sink in, before adding " _Don't_. _Test me_."

Gilbert shrieks in fear, before composing himself and yelling "Everyone! Break up into your assigned teams and go!" He then tossed a few smoke bombs, distracting the Trista defenders in the process.

With that order, the jaegers stormed off in different directions, while Estelle coughs while saying "Follow them in groups! We can't let them hurt the townspeople!"

 _Soon, small groups of Class VII members mixed with the more experienced guest met the jaegers, with the intention of driving them out of town…_

Thankfully, the individual groups of jaegers were taken care of, leaving only Gilbert and another jaeger with Duvalie watching to the side. Unfortunately, they took hostages, where Gilbert had Micht at gunpoint and the jaeger had the general store owner Brandon's daughter Tyzel.

Micht didn't seem afraid, as he turns to Gilbert and says "You look like a damn wimp! Let the kid go…"

Gilbert grumbles to himself, before saying "Shut it, old man! They'll all know that we're serious."

Right now, Estelle, Ries, Agate, Fie, Laura, and Alisa were all present. Estelle just smiles and says "Hey Gilbert… If you let them go then I promise to only hit you a few times with my staff…"

Gilbert shakes his head and says "Shut up! You'll all take us seriously!"

Agate shakes his head and says "This ain't gonna be pretty for you if you keep this up…"

Ries nods and says "You might even earn a bit of favor with the Goddess if you let them go. And someone like you could use it…"

Surprisingly, Duvalie sighs and says "We're not supposed to drag the townspeople into this. Let them go."

Gilbert shakes his head again and says "No! I won't be mocked any longer!"

Duvalie turns away in disgust, while saying "Fine! I won't be dragged down by your failure…"

It seemed like things weren't going well, but Estelle seemed unconcerned, as she smugly smiles and says "You're gonna regret acting so stubborn Gilbert…"

Gilbert narrows his eyes nervously, before saying "What do you…?"

In the next moment, the jaeger holding the child hostage was knocked out on the ground, causing Gilbert to look back and see Joshua standing behind him.

Joshua just sighs and says "Did you really forget to take into account that I was in town as well…?"

After a moment of panic, Gilbert starts to laugh while saying "Now that you've lost your element of surprise, it's my win! Me! The great-"

Suddenly, steel wires appear and wrap around Gilbert, forcing him onto the ground, as Sharon walks out from the shadows, wearing her usual pleasant smile.

First, Duvalie takes a step back, before yelling "I expected the Black Fang, but why are _you_ here?"

Sharon quietly giggles and says "As a maid, it is my duty to take out the trash…" She then looks down at Gilbert, who was absolutely terrified, before adding "And what an unsightly piece of garbage this is…"

Micht brushed himself off before leading Tyzel away while saying "Nice work Sharon. You too kid. I'll get her out of here for you guys…"

Joshua smiles and approaches the wire-wielding maid, while saying "It was a pleasure to work with you again, Sharon…"

She smiles and nods, before replying "Likewise… I'm quite impressed that your skills are as sharp as ever…"

Alisa scratches her head in total confusion, before shouting "Sharon? Why are you here?! And how did you do that…?"

Sharon laughs to herself and says "A maid needs to keep a few secrets… But once this is over, I will explain all of that to Class VII…"

By now, the battle seemed to have been won, but then Duvalie unsheathed her sword before saying "It would be dishonorable of me to allow this operation to fail without trying myself…"

In response to that statement, Ries, Agate, Laura, and Fie approach the knight, ready to accept her challenge. Laura in particular was invested in battling her since she looked to be a highly skilled swordsman. And from the very start of the battle, it was clear that Duvalie was a formidable opponent, even if she was not one of the Enforcers.

While watching from the sidelines, Alisa turns to Sharon and says "You should join in too! You've gotta be strong as her, right…?"

Sharon shakes her head and says "We possess different kinds of strength, as I would be more suited for stealth missions and assassinations."

Joshua nods and says "Same here. But they need to be careful. She was already formidable back when I was in the society, but I heard that she reached a point where she could have challenged Loewe equally if he were still alive…"

Estelle's eyes widen as she says "Seriously? That's crazy…"

Tita gasps while saying "Scary… I hope Agate will do okay…"

Toval nods before saying "Yeah, I doubt even I'd be able to cast an art before she could corner me…"

Renne shrugs and says "Personally I would have enjoyed playing with her, but I'll allow them to have fun…" Then she turns to Tita and says "We should have fun together once this is over!"

Tita smiles and nods, before saying "Yeah!"

But Alisa turns to Estelle and says "Well, what should we do…?"

Machias nods and says "Yeah… I just feel so helpless…"

Gaius folds his arms and says "Likewise. Can we only pray that they'll get a favorable wind during the battle?"

Estelle faces the students, before smiling warmly and saying "Yep! That's all you can do. Isn't that what it means to be friends?"

 _They nod, so they watch the battle unfold, hoping for a victory…_

It was a challenging fight, but they manage to pull through and claim victory in the end, though that was mainly because they outnumbered Duvalie. As they panted from the tough clash, Duvalie slowly stands back, while quietly saying "As long as I represent the Steel Maiden, I shall not lose…"

After that, she dashed around at breakneck speeds, quickly dispatching her opponents, causing Joshua to narrow his eyes and say "That's why they call her 'The Swift'. She won't be one to take lightly…"

Agate slowly got up first, while saying "You Ouroboros types are all way too strong…"

Ries struggles to stand next, before saying "But we need to remain strong. This is not an opponent that students can reasonably face."

Both of them looked exhausted, causing Duvalie to laugh and say "None of you can compare to the head knight of the Stalhritter!"

In response to that, a cool voice rang out, saying "Then allow me to join in!" Then, the katana wielding Richard charged toward Duvalie, catching her off guard while saying "As a student to the Divine Blade, I believe I am a perfect opponent for you…"

Duvalie smiles in response, before saying "I'll admit that Cassius Bright is formidable, but the Steel Maiden surpasses him in every aspect."

Richard just smirks and says "Well then, shall we find out which master is superior, through a duel between their students…?"

With those words exchanged, their ferocious battle began, while Agate and Ries brought Laura and Fie back with everyone else.

As that happened, Laura watches in amazement while saying "Instructor Richard truly is an incredible swordsman…"

Estelle nods and says "Yep! He's crazy strong. I'm glad we're not enemies anymore…"

When Fie hears that, she raises an eyebrow, before saying "Enemies? He said he did intelligence work before, but how'd you end up fighting against him...?"

Estelle laughs nervously, realizing that she should have kept that to herself, before grinning and saying "I'll tell you guys later! It's a long story…"

 _That was how this battle was going, but there was still one more major conflict around Thors that was not yet addressed. McBurn's wild fight against the Thors instructors will be left for next time..._

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts.**


	22. Chapter 22

_The battle against McBurn was fierce…_

Principal Vandyke speaks first, sighing and saying "You sure have a lot of energy, McBurn... I'm not sure if my old bones will keep up for much longer."

McBurn just shakes his head and says "Don't give me that crap, old man… You don't look like you'll run out of steam anytime soon."

Neithardt nods and says "Don't sell yourself short, sir! We'll all fight to the best of our abilities as well…"

Then, Sara cracks her knuckles and says "You said it! We can't let our boss do all of the work."

Thomas proceeds to laugh and say "This has been quite the professional bonding experience. I say we all go out for drinks once we're finished!"

In response to that, McBurn scratches at his head and says "You guys aren't exactly taking this seriously, huh… Well, it ain't my business."

Following that, they went back to fighting, as McBurn shot out a few fireballs to disrupt their formation. Thomas instead creates a barrier to stop the fire blasts, before firing off a Hydro Cannon art, forcing McBurn to back away. While McBurn was backing away from the water-based art, Sara quickly closed the distance and used one of her gun & lighting techniques, forcing McBurn to go on the defensive.

Right after that, Neithardt charges forward with his great sword and delivers an impressive strike, causing McBurn to recoil from the attack. And while he was recovering from that attack, Principal Vandyck winds up and strikes with his zhanmadao (a large sword with a spear length hilt), forcing McBurn to his knees.

By this point, Sara sighs and says "You guys think that was actually enough…?"

Thomas shakes his head and says "Sadly, if he's the No. I enforcer in Ouroboros, then I doubt it…"

McBurn starts to laugh while slowly standing back up, while saying "You guys really are tough. Guess I should kick it up a notch…" Following that worrying statement, he takes a deep breath, before his body starts to change while a dark red aura surrounds him. Bright red markings start to form on his skin and his hair color changes to a light gold, while his eyes turn to a dark red.

And now that he released this power, he sighs and says "This is a bit of my real power, and how I got the nickname 'Blazing Demon'. Hopefully you guys still put up a fight…"

Principal Vandyke stands proud and says "We are the protectors of the youth of Thors. We shall ensure that they may rise and become the foundation of the world. Give it your all!"

The others nod and shout, yelling "Yes sir!"

 _The battle against the 'Blazing Demon' has now entered into its next phase…_

At this point, the battle in Trista was finally ended, with Gilbert and the Ouroboros-backed jaegers tied up, though Duvalie refused to be lowered to their level. So after shouting at everyone present, the group decided to leave Duvalie be, where she at least promised to not cause anymore trouble. After doing that, she said "There's no point in me fighting at this point. Gilbert already screwed up when he took hostages…"

But as things were calming down, a strange surge of magic energy formed, where the mysterious Campanella made his appearance.

His entrance worried everyone present, except for the ones who never dealt with him. Surprisingly, Campanella merely bows and says "Greetings! I am known as Ouroboros' Enforcer No. 0, Campanella the Fool…"

Estelle glares at him, fully aware of his tricks, as she says "And why are you here? We already beat the rest of your bunch…"

Campanella laughs in response and says "Estelle Bright… Still as hot-headed as before…" Then he smiles and adds, saying "But worry not… I'm just here to pick up my plaything…"

Gilbert's eyes light up when he hears that, so he says "You came for me, Master Campanella?"

Suddenly, a magical flame appears in front of Gilbert, causing him to shriek as Campanella says "You can stay quiet…"

Then, he snaps his fingers, causing Gilbert and the jaegers to slowly fade away, while he says "I'll be bringing the grunts back with me as well. Duvalie, you may have more fun if you stick around. Just a hunch… And to everyone else, farewell!"

Once they were gone, Estelle decides to extend an olive branch by helping Duvalie up, before asking "What was that supposed to mean?"

Duvalie shrugs and says "Beats me. But any hunch from him can't be good…"

 _And that was how the battle in Trista was resolved..._

While all of these battles were progressing, there was one member of Ouroboros who had not involved herself yet: Vita Clotilde, The Azure Abyss. She understood that her true goal rested deep within the academy's old school house, and she had no interest in wasting time with irrelevant conflicts.

As she entered the building, she looked around while saying "How derelict… But from what I've heard, Rean and his classmates should have removed many of the obstacles for me…"

After that, she approached the elevator and activated the console, while muttering "Technology prior to the Great Collapse never fails to amaze me. Just how long did it take for our society to create orbal elevators?"

But once she descends to the lowest floor, she sees a familiar green haired priest seated in front of a sealed doorway…

As she walks closer, Kevin sighs and says "Vita Clotilde… I see you're planning to commit some heresy…"

Vita proceeds to quietly laugh, before elegantly brushing her hair to the side, before saying "Heresy? I am a witch of the Hexen Clan… Do you believe that I would be concerned with the Septian Church's teaching?"

Kevin slowly stands up while shrugging, before saying "Guess not… But let me save you some time, because whatever's behind this door ain't an artifact. At least not the kind you'd want."

Vita merely raises an eyebrow and asks "Then what is guarded by this place, young Gralsritter…?"

Kevin proceeds to scratch his head, while saying "Well, I don't actually know for sure what it is. From what I can tell, it seems to be a large Archaism, possibly from before the Great Collapse."

When Vita hears that, her eyes widen as she mutters "An Archaism…? Could it be a Divine Knight?"

Kevin then leans in a bit before saying "What was that?"

Vita shakes her head and says "Nothing! But it seems I made a miscalculation… Our forces will withdraw. All me to apologize for the trouble we caused for Trista…"

Kevin smiles when he hears that, as he says "Wow… That's surprisingly kind for an Anguis…"

Vita merely winks and says "We're not all monsters like Weissmann. Most of us just have our own goals, just like anyone else…"

Kevin starts to laugh when he hears that, as he says "Then what was all that mystery and stuff from before, with the 'devouring snake'...?"

In response, Vita slyly smiles and says "What can I say? In my heart I will always be a performer, so forgive me for being dramatic…" Then she adds, saying "By the way, have you realized yet that the night in Trista wasn't our first meeting…?"

Kevin slyly smiles back and says "Oh really…? I'm not the type to forget pretty faces, especially when they belong to Ouroboros. But unfortunately, I'll need a reminder…"

Before Vita could respond, The Arca of Recluse started to glow again while spinning wildly, causing her to say "I was under the impression that the Recluse Cube lost its power?"

Kevin's eyes widen as he responds, saying "It's never done this before!"

 _Following that, a bright light emerged and spread out, enveloping all of Thors and Trista in its wake. In another instant, a specific group of people present at the battle woke up, in a wide open area with bookshelves rising to the heavens, along with a clear and starry sky visible…_

 _The sounds of an organ could be heard in the distance, as a be-speckled man with slicked back blue hair turned around and faced the present group, before sinisterly grinning and saying "Welcome... to Phantasma!"_

 **All of the individuals involved in the battle against Ouroboros were pulled in by the Arca of Recluse.**

 **Notes:** It's been about a month since the last chapter, mainly due to being busy with other things and a lack of desire to just get to writing. But with this, the finale is finally here. And I'm sure it sounds crazy to bring back Weissmann, but I think it makes sense given certain events in Trails in the Sky 3rd. But that stuff will get explained in the next chapter. Hope you all have enjoyed the story so far, and continue to enjoy it as we move into the finale of the main arc. It'll keep staying crazy, but I'll keep it within reason and in-character. You can trust me with that.

Also, the bit with Kevin sitting at the bottom floor of the old school house was partially inspired by a joke a streamer I watch (HeyMrRabbit on Twitch) makes whenever they explore the school house, about how Kevin will yell at Class VII for attempting heresy. If you're interested in watching people play the series, he's a solid pick. He and his co-host, Midnight (aka Middles), really love Trails. They stream Trails every Friday; they call the show Scree Squad (for Sieg).

Take care and thanks for reading!


	23. Chapter 23

_The atmosphere of the room right now could be described in a single word: Unnerved…_

Claire begins to look around, entirely confused by their current location, before saying "What in the world is going on? Where are we?"

Agate furrows his brow and says "Basically, we're in deep trouble. I have no clue how we're back in this place though. Or why _he's_ here…"

Tita nods and says "Yeah… This is getting scary…"

Renne merely smirks and says "I for one am quite curious of why we're here, and especially why the _old man_ is back…"

On the other side of the room, Thomas turns to Principal Vandyck and says "I must say this is a most disturbing development. This room is similar to the Partitions I create, but at a far larger scale. Also, I cannot break through this with my own abilities. We should be cautious, Principal…"

Vandyck nods and says "Good idea…" He then turns to McBurn, who seemed to deactivate his magic for the time being, before saying "I presume you'd have no qualms with postponing our battle, _Blazing Demon?_ "

McBurn puts his hands in his pockets, before nodding back and saying "Honestly, I've lost interest in that fight, no offense. I'll admit you guys were all good, but this situation is way more interesting. I'm pretty curious about why _he's_ back in action though."

In a different part of this vast room, Richard sheaths his katana and says "This does not sit well with me…"

Zin nods and says "Same here. I never imagined to get dragged back here again…"

Mueller then folds his arms and says "We cannot let our guards down with that _man_ back… Did you predict this as well, Your Highness?"

Olivert begins to laugh and say "You overestimate me, my dear Mueller! I could have never imaged this turn of events." He then nervously frowns and adds, saying "This really is the worst possible scenario…"

In yet another different section of this area, Estelle tries to comfort Joshua while saying "Hey, you okay…? I'll beat that jerk down for you!"

Joshua just takes a deep breath, before saying "I'll be okay. This isn't the time to get distracted…"

After that, Crow asks "So who is that guy? A bunch of you are all on edge…"

Joshua answers, saying "He's incredibly dangerous and caused much destruction in Liberl."

Surprisingly, Vita approaches them and adds, saying "That man was a heartless bastard. Seeing him here makes my stomach churn…" Joshua looks at her, surprised that she would feel that way about a fellow Anguis.

Then Joshua responds, saying "I didn't think you'd take part in the operation personally…"

Vita just nods and says "That was something I needed to confirm for myself, but this is beyond my wildest expectations."

But then, Rean looks at her and says "Hold on, why are you here Misty… I mean VIta? And what are you talking about? Weren't you in town for Trista Radio?

She shakes her head and says "It's a long story…" She then turns to Emma, who was staring at her in disbelief, before adding "Hello Emma… You look well."

Emma's eyes widen once she processes that she was staring at Vita, so she yells "Vita! Why were you here? And why did you leave?"

The other members of Class VII look around with confusion from Emma's outburst, but Vita sadly sighs and says "That's an even longer story, and I'm afraid I cannot share that one with you…"

 _Slowly, everyone present collected themselves, before facing the mystery man standing above them..._

Soon after that, the bespectacled man stands up from his organ and walks to face the group, before saying "It is good to see so many familiar faces… I do not doubt that you have plenty of questions. For those of you who I am not acquainted with, my name is Georg Weissmann…"

Kevin speaks up first, yelling " _You?_ Why the hell are you alive? And what did you mean _Phantasma?!_ "

Weissmann smiles when he hears Kevins questions, as he says "It is all because of the Arca of Recluse… I waited until Celeste shutdown nearly all of the systems before making my move, claiming control while she was far too weak to stop me. I've been in control every since, biding my time..."

Thomas speaks next, saying "The reports stated that the Arca of Recluse lost its power. How did it activate again? And why are you the one controlling it?"

When Weissmann hears that question, he laughs and says "I made it so the artifact appeared to lose power. My plans would be rendered useless if the Church locked this in a vault. Ensuring that Kevin Graham held onto it was simply a gamble that worked out…"

After that, Richard narrows his eyes and says "So what is your aim this time? Is this all a ploy to force Joshua to cooperate with you again?"

Weissmann laughs again and says "Why would I care about that failed experiment when I have a group of healthy Stigma bearers present? If even one of them chose to work with me, I'd release the rest of you…"

When Rean hears that, he closes his eyes and remembers the dream he had about that 'Professor Alba' realizing that it must have been this Weissmann character in actuality. His mind then wanders about how much of a burden he could be, as well as his desire to be something useful. But as his thoughts grew more and more negative, he saw a brief image of his classmates and the other friends he made. It was then where he had his answer.

But Weissmann grins at the apprehensive looking student, before saying "How about you, Rean Schwarzer? You've always wanted to be helpful? With my offer, you'd never be a burden again…"

Suddenly, Alisa shouts back, yelling "How dare you? Rean is our friend! He's not a burden!"

Laura nods and adds, saying "We value him as our comrade and nothing you say will change that!"

Fie twirls her daggers before joining in, saying "Ditto… Why should we listen to some creep anyway?"

Surprisingly, Estelle yells out "You can't listen to a word that guy says, Rean! He's nothing but a bastard who spins lies and causes destruction!"

After a minute of so of silence, Rean eventually speaks up and says "You're right that I used to consider myself a burden, but ever since attending Thors, I've slowly come to realize how much I mean to my friends. If it's for their sake, I won't give up my life! I'll trust and fight alongside them."

In response to that, Weissmann starts to laugh yet again before saying "My, how _annoying_ … Let us test your apparent resolve, shall we…?"

But Richard then unsheathes his katana and says "Really? As powerful as you may be, you are heavily outnumbered."

Kevin nods and says "I have no plans to let a heretic as bad as to you live a moment longer. I'll make sure to give you a repeat sentence..."

Right after that, Neithardt turns to Sara and says "Let's finish this quickly, Valestein…"

Sara nods and says "Gotcha!"

Then, the two of them charge at Weissmann, wishing to catch him off guard while he was still speaking, but a masked swordsman blocks their path instead. Neithardt goes to face off against this mysterious swordsman, but he fails to overpower him, and instead effortlessly dodges all of Neithardt's and Sara's moves. They are eventually forced to retreat, confused about who this swordsman was.

Following that, Weissmann snaps his fingers, causing a group of strange looking soldiers to appear behind that mysterious swordsman. They were all wearing the older Ouroboros jaeger armor. But by now it became clear that the leader swordsman had long silvery gray hair, which seemed familiar to a few people present.

When Joshua sees the man in the center, he takes a few steps back while his eyes widen, before muttering "No… no way… _Loewe_ … Why him, _again…?_ "

And when Vita sees him, she angrily clenches her fist while saying " _How dare you…_ After all you've done, can you not allow Loewe to finally rest?"

Weissmann just pushes up his glasses before responding, saying " _Why…?_ It's simple. Leonhardt was my most useful pawn. In this world, I can create whatever I desire…"

After that, Agate speaks up, saying "As strong as Loewe is, we've all improved since before, so it'll be tough but not impossible."

When Weissmann hears that, he grins and says "You say this now, but unlike Kevin Graham's Stigma, which only acted to create the perfect personal punishment for him, I understand that the only limits are my own imagination. _Behold!_ "

He then snaps his fingers again, this time caused the rest of his soldiers to change, until they all mirrored Loewe's appearance. After that, Weissmann proudly extends his arms and says "This is Phantasma while in the hands of someone with a great drive! How will you fare against an _army_ of Bladelords…?"

Upon that sight, more than a few people were already losing hope, as Principal Vandyck mutters "Morale is dropping fast… If I was more acquainted with everyone here, I'd attempt to rally them myself…"

Thomas nods and says "At this point, I'd say we'd need a _miracle_ from the Goddess to get us back in fighting form…"

How will our heroes overcome this impossibly strong army of super soldiers? They'd need a truly inspiring leader to properly challenge The Faceless while he exerted control over this place. But while they all remained convinced that the battle was already meaningless, a middle-aged man with a brown mustache began walking from an unoccupied corner of this location.

 _Would he provide them with the hope they so desperately needed…?_

 **Notes:** Things are getting crazier by the minute! Now I'm sure some people might find it a bit too much that a whole group of Loewes could be summoned, but Phantasma was a crazy place. Besides, who wouldn't find this kind of scenario cool, if unlikely in canon. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	24. Chapter 24

The slightly middle-aged man continued to approach the group, without anyone yet aware of his presence. Compared to the dwindling morale of those attempting to face Weissmann, this man was composed and prepared for a challenging but winnable battle. And once he made it close enough to be in view of everyone, Weissmann, he slams down his bo staff and yells "In a real battle you must not lose faith! There is still a path yet forward!"

In response to hearing that voice, multiple people turned to face him at once.

Agate speaks first, yelling "How the hell?"

Richard's eyes light up as he says "It cannot be!"

Zin smiles knowingly and says "Took him long enough…"

Kevin then holds back a shocked laugh while saying "Of all the people to show up…"

Tita fights back a relieved tear before saying "I can't believe my eyes!"

Renne frowns in response to seeing him, while saying "Oh great… At least he will increase our odds of survival significantly. He'd better not try to get all sappy with me…"

Bleublanc lightly chuckles, saying "Ha _ha!_ What a surprise!"

Walter just smirks and says "Good thing he didn't show up before our raid. Though I would've like to challenge him. He'd give you a good fight, McBurn."

McBurn stretches in place while yawning, before saying "Maybe… In this situation, I'll just have to settle with fighting a buncha Loewes…"

Thomas then turns to Vandyck and says "It seems our prayers have been answered…"

Vandyck nods and responds, saying "I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him as comrade-in-arms. This should be interesting…"

Finally, Estelle nearly drops her bo staff from shock before loudly shouting "D… Daaaad?"

With that colorful response, Cassius Bright walks closer, while laughing and saying "I'm happy my daughter is so excited to see her papa…" Then he pauses, and adds, saying "I'm also happy to see you as well, Joshua. I wish this reunion could be under better circumstances…"

Joshua nods and says "Likewise… But seeing you here makes me think we can actually succeed."

But when Mueller sees him, he turns to Olivert and says "Was this your doing, Your Highness?"

Olivert slyly smirks and says "I simply requested he come back with us, in secret, in case of a disaster scenario with Ouroboros…" Then he sighs and adds, saying "This was _far_ beyond my predictions though…"

When Neithardt sees him, he folds his arms and says "So that's the famous Liberl general… He looks impressive…"

Sara however, blushes before saying " _And attractive…_ " But once she sees Neithardt's disapproving glare, she pouts and says " _What…?_ I like a maturely aged man…"

Captain Claire was less impressed, as she says "I'm not sure how I feel about relying on Erebonia's most dangerous foes..."

Agate folds his arms in response, before saying "Hey now, nobody in Liberl wants to be a vassal state to Erebonia. Look at it from our perspective."

Claire sighs, finding Agate's blunt logic to be sound, so she says "You do have a point. And this isn't a situation to be picky about allies..."

Back at Class VII's group, Laura turns to Rean and says "That's the Divine Blade, correct?

Rean nods and says "Right. Besides Master Ka-fai, he was the foremost master of the Eight Leaves One Blade, though he no longer uses a sword. Arios MacLaine might be more skilled now, but he still practices with a sword."

When Laura hears that, she says "Either way, he might be one of the few who could stand equally with my father…"

But now that Cassius revealed himself, Weissmann began to clench his fist with anger, before asking "Why are _you_ here?"

Cassius glares at the heretical bishop in response, before replying, saying "I could not sit by and allow you to seize victory. After needing to sit out while you were in that floating city, this is my way of paying you back, Faceless."

After that, Kevin walks up to Cassius and says "While I'm glad you're here, I don't know how much one more person will help… That bastard has an army backing him up…"

Cassius then scratches his chin and replies, saying "Kevin, you have the most experience with this place and its mechanisms. Look past his words. Are there not any limitations with operating this system? Any at all?"

Kevin thinks silently for a moment, before finally saying "You know what…? You've got a point! This place runs on the mental energy of its operator, and even a guy like Weissmann doesn't have an infinite supply…"

Cassius nods in response while saying "Then that might be our chance. In all likelihood, he summoned the amount that he did in order to break morale. As long as we break off into small groups, we should be able to hold them off while a few of us take on Weissmann himself."

Kevin reloads his crossbow when he hears that, before saying "Then I'm joining that group. There's no way I can let that heretic live a second longer…"

Joshua then walks up and says "Dad, I'll join you as well."

Cassius nods again and says "I thought you would. Very well."

Then, out of nowhere, Victor S. Arseid came out from a dark corner while saying "Fight to your fullest, Cassius! I'll keep things handled out on the front-lines…"

When Laura sees him, she steps back in shock before saying " _Father?_ When did you arrive on campus?"

Victor laughs and says "Laura! His Highness requested I join him… I'm glad that he asked me to, especially after seeing this…"

But while the fighters present slowly broke off into small groups, Kevin scratches his hair and says "I know we've got you of all people helping, Cassius, but I can't help but feel inadequate by only having a 3-man team…"

In response to that, Vita approaches and says "Than allow me to join you…"

Joshua looks over at her, and says "Vita?"

Kevin then glares and says "And why would an Anguis help us fight Weissmann?"

Vita flatly replies, saying "Weissmann The Faceless is dead. The position of Third Anguis is already refilled. I merely wish to enforce that fact."

Weissmann smirks in response and says "How cold…"

But then, she looks toward Emma for a moment, before saying "Joshua, if my darling Emma was in your position and I was in Loewe's… I'm not sure if I could have soldiered on like he did. If this is my chance to honor his memory, then I will gladly oppose Weissmann alongside you…"

Joshua just smiles and says "That means a lot, Vita…"

Kevin then grins in response and says "Well that's good enough for me… Can't say I've ever teamed up with an Anguis before."

Vita merely winks and says "There's a first time for everything…"

After that, Cassius folds his arms and says "With that settled, let's get moving. This will be a test of endurance for everyone else, so we need to fight our hardest to stop Weissmann."

With that decided, Cassius, Kevin, Joshua, and Vita go off to battle Weissmann directly, while Victor organized the others to group up against the army of Loewe duplicates. Rean and Class VII decide that their best option would be to stay out of the fight, since someone like Leonhardt the Bladelord would be far too strong for them.

 _It seems like Weissmann's advantage was ripped away, leaving both sides now evenly matched, thanks to Cassius Bright's intervention…_

 **Preview of the battle groups for next time** (let's hope I didn't forget anybody! It's hard to organize so many characters. Falcolm really are the experts):

 _Olivert, Mueller, Neithardt & Vandyck_

 _Sara, Thomas & Victor_

 _Agate, Claire, Estelle, Tita, and Ries_

 _Richard, Zin, Angelica & Towa_

 _Bleublanc, Walter, Sharon & Renne_

 _McBurn_

 **Notes** : I wasn't sure if I'd finish the chapter this week but I managed it! It's a tad shorter, but I didn't want to leave everyone on that cliffhanger for too long. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Also, _JohnJoestar17_ 's review brought up something I should mention, specifically how Vandyck knew about Thomas being in the Gralsritter. That was most likely an oversight by me, but let's just assume that Thomas told him before Kevin arrived, since Thomas would rather have Vandyck's blessing for everything. I'm fairly certain that Thomas' identity is kept a secret, save for Rean, in Cold Steel 1 2. So that's a change by me!


End file.
